


A Sweet and Bitter Taste

by PurrfecktlySinful



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underswap, Drinking, Fontcest, M/M, Mead, Pirates, Suggestive, for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-07-28 20:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7656340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurrfecktlySinful/pseuds/PurrfecktlySinful
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Multipart fic based on Sanspar's <a href="http://sanspar.tumblr.com/tagged/swap_pirate">Swap Pirates</a> AU.</p><p>Underswap and pirates and fontcest, oh my.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. More than Meads the Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Ok...so this thing started as a drabble, and then I started having fun with it. Now its a 13k word 2 parter and I HONESTLY could probably write a third part, depending on response.
> 
> Tags/rating are subject to change, especially if I DO write a third part (as that will probably go right to smut-ville).
> 
> Anyways, thank you and enjoy!
> 
> [MY TUMBLR IS HERE](http://purrfecktlysinful.tumblr.com)  
> Again big thanks to the following for editing help, word suggestons, encouragement, etc:
> 
>  **Undertailsoulsex** ([Tumblr](http://undertailsoulsex.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/undertailsoulsex/pseuds/undertailsoulsex))  
>  **Psycho4sans** ([Tumblr](http://psycho4sans.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/psycho4sans/pseuds/psycho4sans))  
>  **Eiznel24** ([Tumblr](http://eiznel.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Eiznel24/pseuds/Eiznel24))  
>  **Soloshikigami** ([Tumblr](http://soloshikigami.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SoloShikigami/pseuds/SoloShikigami))
> 
> These people all write EXCELLENT fics. (you should be reading their stuff first...great stories)

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone down brightly, a soft breeze sighing over the water and taking the edge off of the noonday heat as it tugged at the sails of the M.S. Honeyberry. The small pirate vessel dipped gently between the waves as it traveled across the waters of the Big Blue, patrolling its small territory. Bustling with activity, the crew moved to and fro as they cared for their various responsibilities, every hand occupied with maintaining the efficiency of the ship.

All work came to a halt, though, as a sudden, sharp noise rang out from above as the monster keeping watch in the crow’s nest called out a warning. All movement on deck ceased as heads tipped back and looked up expectantly, waiting for confirmation of what had been spotted. They were tense with anticipation. Was it friend or foe…one or many? After a brief pause there was a second, clearer cry, carrying to all ears present in confirmation of what the lookout had seen. 

A single enemy merchant ship, no escort.

Plunder.

The ship exploded into a flurry of activity, the air buzzing with barely contained excitement, fed by the crew’s hope for the glory and riches that might be won from the enemy ship.

And no one was more thrilled at this prospect than Captain Bluebones Sans himself.

An amused grin played across First Mate Papyrus’ face as he watched how excited Sans became when he heard the lookout’s call. There was a fierce scramble, Sans calling out enthusiastic orders in his booming voice as he directed the crew with his bone cutlass raised in the air. They raised their jolly roger, and it waved proudly in the sea breeze, announcing their presence and intent to their target. The traditional skull and crossbones design had been enhanced, the skull wearing a blue bandanna around its neck and set against a honey-colored droplet on a black background, the identifying mark of the Bluebones crew. Once all preparations had been made, there was a tense period of waiting as they approached the other ship—would they submit to the tithe or fight back? Finally, they saw motion as the other ship raised their own flag in response…the white of surrender.

Papyrus eyed the white flag critically, immediately on guard. It wasn’t supposed to be that easy. Sans, however, was absolutely delighted.

“MWEHEHE!~ IT SEEMS OUR REPUTATION PRECEDES US, FIRST MATE PAPRYUS! SEE, THEY’RE SURRENDERING.”

Papyrus leaned out on the rail of the ship as he contemplated their adversary, a calculating glint sparking in his eyes despite his relaxed posture. He chewed thoughtfully at the end of the pipe between his teeth, the tobacco within long ago burnt out. After another moment of thought, he casually took the pipe in hand and gave it a couple of sharp taps against the rail to knock the dead hots into the water below before hiding it away in one of his many pockets and pouches.

“hrm… maybe so. but you know, cap’n, i think we should still go in prepared... fully armed.”

Sans’ grin turned down slightly at these words.

“THAT DOESN’T SEEM HONORABLE. THEY ARE SURRENDERING, AFTER ALL.”

Papyrus turned his gaze back to his brother, his expression falling back into its usual lazy grin.

“i know. but we’ve got an image to keep up. we can’t have them looking down on us, right?”

This idea seemed to appeal to Sans, his face immediately brightening.

“OF COURSE! BUT REMEMBER, FIRST MATE PAPYRUS, WE HURT NO ONE.”

“got it, cap’n.”

As they approached, they turned the ship slowly until it was gliding easily alongside the other vessel. Gathering at the rail, the Honeyberry’s crew watched eagerly as a large plank was lowered over the gap between the two ships to ford the gap. Sans strode confidently across to negotiate with the captain of the other ship, Papyrus following close behind, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Dressed in his blue captain’s uniform, gold buttons flashing in the sunlight, Sans cut a dashing, if somewhat small, figure. His black pirate hat was settled neatly and meticulously on his brow, the blue scarf and cape he wore constantly fluttering in the sea-salt breeze. His bone sword was sheathed securely at his waist along with a row of deadly sharp bone darts, always useful in emergencies. In stark contrast, Papyrus was much more simply dressed, wearing a linen shirt under his vest and slacks, with a simple sash tied around his waist and no visible weapon on his person. 

They were greeted by a nervous looking human in a naval uniform. Sans ran his eyes up and down the person in front of them curiously, taking in the insignia on the jacket of their uniform and noting the absence of the gold captain’s bars that should have been there. 

“THIS IS A BREACH OF ETIQUETTE! WHERE IS YOUR CAPTAIN?” Sans asked.

The human shuffled nervously.

“The captain...is not well...they cannot be present. I am first mate.”

Papyrus’ gaze traveled slowly across the ship they had boarded from bow to stern, casually taking in their surroundings. He didn’t miss the nervous glances the first mate was casting toward the captain’s quarters, and made a mental note of it for later.

“OH NO! I AM SO SORRY HE IS NOT WELL.” Sans said, disappointment and concern warring with each other on his face. He had expected a grand meeting of captains or something similarly impressive, but if the captain was ill… “WELL, I GUESS WE CAN NEGOTIATE WITH YOU, THEN.”

“excuse me…cap’n?” Papyrus interrupted. 

“YES, FIRST MATE PAPYRUS?”

Papyrus gaze became suddenly sharp as he focused on the trembling human in front of them.

“perhaps we should have him ask his friends to join us? what do you say, me bucko?”

With the game finally up, the ambush was immediate. The two of them were quickly surrounded by the enemy crew, all armed to the teeth with swords and pistols. As quickly as they appeared, the first mate of the enemy disappeared, scrambling back behind the safety of the bristling wall of weaponry.

Papyrus surveyed the odds before them. Rough, but manageable.

“the way i see it, cap’n, negotiations seem to have broken down.”

Sans eyes flashed with excitement.

“IT SEEMS THAT WAY. WELL FEAR NOT! I, THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN BLUEBONES SANS, WILL SHOW THEM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS!” He drew his bone sword and held it high, calling to his crew “WHAT DO YOU SAY, MATEYS! SHALL WE SHOW THEM WHAT WE CAN DO?”

Hearing the booming call of their captain, the crew of the Honeyberry responded, surging forward to board the other ship. There was a tumult of voices as they invaded, getting across the gap however they could manage. Planks, grappling hooks, and ropes were all employed as they ran, swung, or simply leapt across the open space in front of them.

The crew of the human ship, surprised at the unexpected aggression of the monster pirates, wavered momentarily and fell back at the onslaught, allowing Papyrus and Sans to rejoin with their crew. Leading the way and yelling with enthusiasm, Sans was at the head of the charge as the two groups collided and engaged in battle. Rallying the best they could, the humans fought back desperately against the monsters, caught off balance at the sudden charge.

Papyrus, still standing in place, took a moment to calmly survey the chaos.

He smiled as he saw his captain throw himself into the fray, fending off attackers from all sides, bone attacks flying left and right. Sans caught a particularly heavy blow using the flat of his sword and, with one fluid motion snatched and threw some of his bone darts. They cut through the air with deadly accuracy, catching and pinning another enemy who had disarmed one of their crew mates and was preparing to run them through. The rescued monster snatched up his weapon and raised it to Sans in thanks before launching himself at the next attacker. Returning his attention to the enemy in front of him, Sans focused his magic, calling a bone attack up from below, slamming it against the human and bowling them over, knocking them flat.

Papyrus felt an overwhelming sense of pride as he watched. Exercising perfect control over his magic, Sans always stayed true to his code, refusing to kill or seriously harm his enemies, choosing instead to merely incapacitate or restrain them. Despite this, he was still one of their best fighters, constantly ducking and weaving as he wielded his bone sword with efficient grace. He even found the time and energy to assist his crew mates, never judging or chastising them for needing their captain’s help.

Man, his bro was just too cool.

But it was time to get to work.

With hands still in his pockets and an easy step, Papyrus began to walk unhurriedly through the bedlam around him. To onlookers, he gave the impression that it was an everyday occurrence to be taking a midday stroll as a battle raged around him. It was a simple matter, really. The battle was not his immediate concern. He had other things he needed to do.

A particularly ambitious and large-framed human caught sight of him. Seeing that Papyrus was unarmed and thinking him an easy target, the human charged from behind, brandishing a heavy cudgel.

Papyrus didn’t seem to notice.

The weapon swung down towards him in a vicious arc...

...and passed effortlessly through thin air, crashing into the wooden planks were Papyrus had been just a moment before. Splinters of wood flew in every direction, spraying the surrounding area in tiny pieces of the decking. The human stared comically at the empty space that Papyrus had occupied only seconds before, thoroughly puzzled as his brain tried to process what had just happened. It was almost as if the tall skeleton had vanished into thin air. He looked around, bewildered, before spotting Papyrus a few feet away, continuing on as though nothing of note had happened. How the hell had he missed? He lifted the cudgel once more, preparing to make another run at the Honeyberry’s first mate…

…Only to be clobbered senseless by a wave of bone constructs and pinned flat by a barrier of blue bones. There was a single pained groan before the human passed out. Threat removed, the magic holding the human down disappeared in a whiff of blue mist.

Sans, who had launched the attack, huffed irritably and called to his first mate.

“PAPYRUS! WILL YOU QUIT BEING A LAZYBONES ALREADY AND GET TO WORK!?” 

Papyrus raised one bony hand in easy acknowledgment of his captain’s orders. There was no way Sans would hear his softer voice over the ruckus, so he didn’t bother saying anything. 

His goal was the captain’s quarters.

He approached the door to the captain’s quarters casually, as though he were merely an old friend dropping by for a visit. As he drew near he was suddenly confronted by the nervous little human from earlier…the enemy ship’s first mate. He stood, brandishing a cutlass in front of him with both hands, the blade trembling as he stared Papyrus down with fear in his eyes. 

“You go no further, ruffian!” The man’s voice quavered.

Papyrus’ eyes moved, unconcerned, from the first mate, down to the weapon in his shaking hands and then back up, looking him straight in the eye. The human cringed under Papyrus’ measuring gaze, but desperately held his ground.

“I’m serious....” he continued “not another step!”

Papyrus smiled wide and chuckled. He removed his hands from his pockets and raised them in a placating gesture.

“now, now, friend. no need for a fuss. i’m just here to negotiate with your cap’n” he cajoled.

Papyrus took a step forward. The first mate squeaked and backed up a step, his back hitting the solid wood of the door behind him, but he still refused to move out of the way. Gaining confidence from the human’s reaction, he closed the distance between them in just a few short strides, laying a hand firmly on the man’s shoulder. 

Leaning in close, Papyrus once more looked the small man straight in the eye. There was a flare of orange magic in one of his sockets as his voice dropped unusually low, becoming silky and dangerous. The ice in Papyrus’ voice sent a frightening shiver down the man’s spine.

“I suggest you shove off, matey, or you’re i n f o r a b a d t i m e....”

There was a sharp clatter as the cutlass hit the deck, falling from the first mate’s numb fingers. He scrambled aside, back scraping roughly against the wood behind him as he moved into the space next to the door. Legs giving out underneath him, he slid down slowly till he was seated on the deck of the ship. From where he sat, he looked back up at the lanky skeleton.

Papyrus flashed him a sleepy grin.

“thanks, me bucko, i knew you’d see reason.”

Opening the door to the captain's quarters, Papyrus entered, watching his surroundings closely.

The room was small and sparsely furnished. However, the few items that Papyrus could see were elegant and richly made. A pair of low oak book cases lined one side of the room, the walls above them decorated with sea charts and maps of places both near and distant. A small bed, with a traveler's chest at the foot, rested against the opposite wall, looking almost as though it had been added in as an afterthought. What truly drew Papyrus’ gaze, though, was the low desk directly opposite the door he had just walked through. It was made of oak to match the bookcases, various documents, letters and missives scattered across its surface. Behind the desk sat a small figure in a striped shirt.

Papyrus’ eyes widened in momentary surprise at the sight of the child behind the captain’s desk. They looked so much like...but no, it wasn’t the same child. Instead of a warm expression with pale crimson eyes, this kid’s face was cold, flat and unreadable. Those cold eyes examined Papyrus impassively, and the first mate of the Honeyberry felt a deep sense of wrongness settle in his bones. Something was not right. 

Shoving his hands back into his pockets, he approached the desk and the child behind it, eying them warily.

“ ‘sup.” Papyrus said, fishing his pipe and a small pouch of tobacco out from his pockets. Casually, he filled and gently packed the bowl of the pipe. “…name’s Papyrus, First Mate of the M.S. Honeyberry…and, uh, who might you be?”

As he waited for a response, he returned the tobacco pouch to his pocket and brought out a matchbox. Placing the pipe between his teeth, he struck one of the matches and puffed carefully as he lit the tobacco before waving the small flame out. He then returned his hands to his pockets and regarded the child on the other side of the desk coolly. The desk seemed entirely too big for them, dwarfing the small figure and making them appear harmless...defenseless.

Papyrus didn’t believe it for a moment.

The entire time the child had calmly returned Papyrus’ stare, a strange mixture of interest and amusement playing across their features. Papyrus wondered what the kid found so funny. At last they stood, placing small white hands on the dark wood of the desk as they spoke.

“I am Admiral Frisk, commander of the Determination Fleet under governance of the human Kingdom of Ebott across the sea. I have been charged with overseeing the safe conduct of this vessel through these waters to its destination. I demand that you cease all hostile activities immediately.”

Papyrus considered his words before he spoke, chewing thoughtfully on the stem of his pipe. The kid was rather well spoken and was apparently sanctioned in some way by the human government. Well, as long as they were following all the formalities...

Removing his hand from his pocket and stepping up to the desk, Papyrus took a moment to fish in his vest before finally withdrawing an official looking, if somewhat wrinkled document. It was held shut with a seal of red wax bearing the crest of a shield which was decorated with a winged circle hovering above three small triangles.

Papyrus slid the document onto the desk. Formality really wasn’t his forte, but he had a job to do.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Admiral Frisk. I have here an official letter of marque from Queen Toriel of New Home, kingdom of the monsters, through whose waters you are currently traveling. The letter authorizes our ship and my captain with the task of collecting toll from all foreign vessels passing through our waters. We approached your ship in good faith under the flag of surrender to negotiate in all fairness with you and were unjustly attacked. It is we who ask that you cease hostilities, Admiral, so that we may continue negotiations.”

Speech finally over, Papyrus fell back into his comfortable slouch before continuing.

“so, uh, i think the most reasonable thing to do here would be to, uh, give up.” 

Frisk reached across the desk and placed their hand on the creased letter, sliding it back toward them and picking it up to examine the wax seal on the front. Papyrus thought he saw the flicker of recognition cross Frisk’s face when they saw the elegant sprawl of the queen’s handwriting across the front of the document. Retrieving a pen knife from the desk they removed the wax seal, slicing through it with an expert flick of the wrist. The uncanny skill with which they wielded that small blade sent a shiver down Papyrus’ spine.

Placing the blade back on the table, Frisk opened the letter of marque and scrutinized it quietly.

The silence hung between them, broken only by the regular ticking of the clock hanging on the wall above the desk and the occasional shuffle of paper as Frisk continued to examine the document. Papyrus marveled how set apart the captain’s quarters seemed to be from the rest of the ship. He could barely hear the pitched battle being fought right outside the door, the dull roar faded to the point of being white noise. Papyrus supposed it worked both ways. Those outside probably couldn’t hear them either. It was something to keep in mind…to be cautious about…or to use to his advantage.

The trouble was that Papyrus didn’t have nearly enough information about what was going on here. Whatever was happening, it was setting off every alarm bell he had…and even a few he didn’t. He figured he could always CHECK the kid, but it was generally considered poor etiquette to invade the privacy of another monster (well…human) when they were showing no hint of aggression or intent to attack. Hell, he knew himself the shame and embarrassment of having stats revealed that provoked unwanted questions and judgment. He’d rather not if he didn’t have to.

Finally Frisk set the paper down on the desk and looked up, regarding Papyrus with an unreadable expression that made his soul shudder. The kid (not just a kid…definitely not just a kid…) unsettled Papyrus on some deep level that he couldn’t put his finger on. Vague impressions of a shining blade and a dusty blue kerchief flitted briefly through his mind as he fought not to let the sickening dread growing in his soul show. Somehow he knew that if he let the kid know…

“Papyrus, was it?” Frisk smiled.

Papyrus nodded…that smile…that smile was all sorts of wrong…

“I have considered your so-called ‘official document’” Frisk continued “and there do seem to be some merits within that may warrant further consideration…” Their hand dipped below the edge of the desk and Papyrus heard the sound of a drawer sliding open. Innocent enough…probably just retrieving a quill or their seal…

Papyrus didn’t buy it…

To hell with manners.

He CHECKED Frisk. What he saw there terrified him.

With a triumphant look on their face, Frisk withdrew their hand from below the desk wielding a custom-made flintlock musket. It was a beautiful piece of work, the grip and stock made of ebony trimmed with gold. Into each side of the grip was set a heart emblem in rich dark red, reminding Papyrus of the color of old blood.

At the same moment Frisk raised their weapon to take aim, there was an almost audible *blip* and suddenly Papyrus wasn’t there anymore. There was barely a moment for surprise, though, before a loud click punctuated the silence and they felt the cold barrel of a muzzle pressed to their temple. Papyrus’ own musket was custom made too, in a way, called straight into his hand by his magic. Wrought out of pure bone-ivory, there was a canid skull carved in at the top of the stock, its jaw cradling the barrel, the top half of the skull comprising the hammer which was cocked back, the barrel humming with unspent magic.

“that’s, uh, a LOT of LOVE you have there.” Papyrus voice remained level, almost lazy, though there was an icy rage in his soul he was fighting to control “we’ve heard rumors…other pirate crews, disappearing without a trace…you could have captured them instead…”

Frisk giggled, and even that childlike sound, usually so innocent, sent a chill through Papyrus’ bones.

“Why would I do that?” they answered “I was given orders to quell the pirate menace and I did my job. Capturing them would have been needless and boring. It was more interesting that way, seeing what would happen, the looks on their faces...I haven’t been disappointed yet.”

Papyrus gave a dry chuckle.

“Y o u ‘ r e a r e a l F R E A K , a r e n ‘ t y o u ? “ he said, his voice suddenly dripping with menace.

“hmm…perhaps…” Frisk said, unfazed by the sudden tension in the room “I’ve heard about your captain, though…he’s quite famous. I wonder if I could crush that optimism…wipe that bright grin right off of his face…”

Papyrus’ finger twitched where it lay against the trigger.

Right now, Papyrus wanted nothing more in the world than to end this miniature menace right here and now. It was obvious the kid was dangerous, and he felt that he would deeply regret not taking care of the problem while he still had the chance. His finger steadied on the trigger, slowly applying more pressure…

_“…WE HURT NO ONE…”_

Hell.

Remembering his captain’s orders, Papyrus took a deep breath, and as he let it out he felt all of the fear, anger and tension just drain right out of him. If harm came to the human before him, Sans would be deeply hurt and upset. He would never risk seeing the slightest hint of negative emotion darken those ever-bright eyes. He couldn’t disappoint his captain like that.

“while i honestly have the mother of all BONES to pick with you, kid…” he said “from what i see, i have the upper hand here. why don’t we have a little chat about what’s going to happen next…”

*************

Everything went rather smoothly after that.

A short time after initiating their “negotiations”, Papyrus and Frisk exited the captain’s quarters, Frisk in the lead with their arms raised and Papyrus following immediately behind with his musket pointed squarely at the space between the small admiral’s shoulder blades. Upon seeing their admiral so completely and utterly under the control of their enemy’s first mate, the other crew quickly lost the will to fight and surrendered.

As the crew of the Honeyberry was busy employing different methods of restraint on the crew of the enemy ship, Captain Bluebones Sans sauntered over to examine their leader.

“AHOY PAPYRUS! I SEE YOUR NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP WENT WELL!” he bellowed with an excited grin on his face.

Papyrus shrugged lazily.

“what can i say, cap’n? once I let them know it was you in charge, they saw reason and gave up,” he said.

On hearing these words, Sans puffed out his chest proudly, striking a gallant pose. Papyrus’ grin widened. His captain was the coolest, after all.

“MWEHEHEH!~ OF COURSE THEY WOULD SEE REASON ONCE THEY KNEW THE GREAT AND SANSATIONAL CAPTAIN SANS WAS THEIR OPPONENT!”

Admiral Frisk rolled their eyes. Papyrus prodded them with his musket in warning, never dropping his good-natured smile. Unaware, Sans continued.

“DO NOT WORRY HUMAN, FOR WE MEAN NO HARM TO YOU OR YOUR CREW. WE MERELY WISH TO COLLECT THE TOLL AND BE ON OUR WAY. WE WILL ENSURE THAT THE SHIP IS LEFT WITH SUFFICIENT CARGO SO THAT A PROFIT WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE.” Sans nodded to himself as though this were a perfectly reasonable state of affairs. “ANYWAYS, HUMAN, I HOPE THERE WILL BE NO HARD FEELINGS OVER THIS. YOU MUST BE VERY GREAT YOURSELF TO CAPTAIN A SHIP WHILE SO SMALL!”

Sans offered his hand, obviously intending on having a handshake as a gesture of good will. Frisk stared at it blankly, then back up at Sans’ open, grinning expression, then back down at the hand that had been offered to them. There was a sharp poke between their shoulder blades. They glanced up at Papyrus, who shot them a subtle but meaningful look. With a petulant sigh, Frisk took Sans’ hand and shook it halfheartedly.

“I’m an Admiral. And who are you calling small, shorty?”

If Sans noticed the jab, he didn’t let on. His blue eyes grew wide in amazement, and Papyrus could see the small stars that appeared in them whenever he became excited.

Too cute.

“AN ADMIRAL? WOWZERS! THAT IS TRULY GREAT! YOU ARE A VERY IMPRESSIVE HUMAN AND I HOPE WE CAN BECOME GOOD FRIENDS! HOWEVER, SINCE I AM VERY MAGNIFICENT, I MUST ATTEND TO OTHER MATTERS. FIRST MATE PAPYRUS WILL SEE THAT YOU ARE CARED FOR!” With these words, Sans turned and strode off enthusiastically to address whatever else needed his attention.

Frisk shot another glance up at Papyrus, who was watching his Captain run off with a warm grin on his face. Their eyebrows raised slightly in surprise for a moment before smirking at Papyrus knowingly.

“So that’s how it is…” they commented snidely.

As though breaking out of a dream, Papyrus started slightly and looked down at his small charge. On seeing their look, he gave a small cough and glanced away, his cheekbones dusted with a soft orange flush. He internally cursed himself for showing his discomfort in front of his enemy. He didn’t care for the fact that the kid had seen it. They were hellishly perceptive.

“don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, kid.”

“Yeah, right…isn’t he your brother?” Their eyes narrowed. “How shameful…your brother AND your captain…”

Papyrus took Frisk by the arm, squeezing hard enough to make them flinch before realizing what he was doing. He took another deep breath and loosened his grip.

“now that, me bucko, would be none of your business.” Papyrus said with a dry edge to his voice. “i think it’s high time we got you safely stowed away till this business is over and done with.”

Papyrus escorted Admiral Frisk over to where the rest of the crew members were being held, each one bound with whatever rope could be found. He made sure, personally and enthusiastically, that Frisk’s bonds were tight and that they were kept separate from any crew members to avoid any conniving. Once he was satisfied that Frisk had been suitably addressed, he turned his attention to a small, hassled looking rabbit monster that had been trying to grab his attention for the past few minutes.

“what did you need?” he asked.

The small monster bobbed her head in respect, pink nose twitching as she looked furtively between the clip board in her hand and Papyrus. He could tell that most of her attention was elsewhere, likely on trying to take stock and keep track of the various goods on the human ship. It was a large vessel and there was an abundance of items that needed to be logged and documented to accurately assess the amount of “toll” that would be collected. He recognized her as one of the crew members that worked in the ship’s galley.

“First mate Papyrus, sir, Miss Muffet wishes to have a word with you below. I believe she’s found something of concern that she wishes to get your opinion on.” Her tone was official, business-like and clipped, her posture speaking to the fact that she had better things to do than chase down the eternally lazy first mate of their ship.

Papyrus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Frisk was a big enough worry to have on his mind, but now Muffet was dragging him into something? She had always been fully capable of handling documentation of enemy food stores before. What problem could possibly need his input?

“any idea what it’s all about?” he ventured to ask.

“She didn’t say” The rabbit’s ear twitched slightly…was that annoyance? So much for respect. “It seems like it might have something to do with some casks they found in the hold of the ship.”

Papyrus was intrigued. What could be so important about some casks?

“alright. i’ll head down and check it out. thank you.” Papyrus said. With a curt nod, the rabbit monster bounded off purposefully to attend to other things. Papyrus watched her go. Some folks just seemed to have all the motivation in the world.

Finding his way to the hatch, he climbed down into the belly of the ship and headed straight to the galley, where he knew Muffet would be waiting for him.

As he ducked down to walk through the entryway into the galley (the doors in these dratted things were always just a bit short for his tall frame), he spotted the monster he was after. She was surrounded by a flurry of activity as various monsters under her supervision ran back and forth, giving her an accounting of the various food stores and supplies on the ship. In her multiple pairs of hands she held a couple of clipboards, with whichever one was the current focus in her top left hand. A quill was poised in her other hand to mark off any important information as it was relayed to her. She gazed thoughtfully through her spectacles as she dipped the quill into the ink bottle on the table next to her. Despite her diverted attention, she was incredibly meticulous, never once getting a spot of ink on her fastidiously arranged suit, the sleeves still white and pristine. It always impressed Papyrus that even among this crowd of dingy, salty sailors, without a single spare drop of clean water to wash with, she always managed to look perfectly crisp and orderly.

“heya, Muffie…” Papyrus raised a hand in greeting as he called to her with the familiar nickname. “heard you needed me for somethin’?”

He stopped in his tracks as she raised one of her lower hands in a “one moment please” gesture. He watched, amused, as her middle set of hands passed up the lower clipboard, effortlessly negotiating the swap with her upper limbs. As she examined the new paper in front of her she set the quill down in its stand and picked up a cup of tea that was resting nearby, taking a small sip as she read. Where on this ship had she managed to get her hands on tea, much less the delicate bone china cup it had been served in? Papyrus had no idea, but finding things like that was her specialty, and one of the many reasons she had been chosen to be in charge of the Honeyberry’s provisions.

Finally she set the cup down and looked up at Papyrus, giving him a small but thankful smile. “Thank you kindly for your patience.” it seemed to say. Muffet wasn’t a spider of many words. Silently, she gestured at a door in the back of the galley, directing Papyrus to go and check out whatever was within.

Papyrus returned the smile and shrugged good naturedly. Well, whatever it was couldn’t be too bad. Muffet may have the best poker face this side of the Big Blue, but Papyrus had known her for many years and could read her like a book. She didn’t seem too terribly put off by whatever had been found in the hold.

Somehow navigating past the monsters ducking in and out of the small space as they rushed about their business, Papyrus headed toward the back of the galley and ducked under the door frame to get a look at what was inside.

The room was a sizeable storage area, used to hold the crew’s own food supplies apart from the main cargo for more immediate use. Barrels of dried fruit and smoked, salted meats lined the walls in neat rows. The combination of smells, smoky and sweet, permeated the air. Making his way back to the far corner, Papyrus saw a line of casks, likely containing the ship’s alcohol. A short monster, very much like a mole, was going over them carefully, dictating his findings to a nearby froggit, who was making notes on the paper in front of him.

As Papyrus neared, the mole-monster raised his head, pointing a pink, star-shaped nose inquiringly in his direction.

“Ah! That pipe t’bacca I be smellin’…ye be the first mate, yes?” The monster was obviously old salt, with many years of sailing experience behind him. His filmy eyes crinkled in a smile. “Well, I have a wunnerful lil surprise for ye here, yes I do.”

“what’cha got for me, old timer?” Papyrus asked, curious.

Raising his nose toward the casks along the wall, the old sailor moved along them slowly, pausing here and there to take a particularly deep breath, testing the air around each container carefully. Papyrus followed him, amazed that he could pick out any particular smell among all the others scents mingling in the air. Finally the mole monster stopped in front of a pair of casks, having found what he was looking for.

“Here we be, here we be…” he muttered to himself patting the wooden side of one of the containers. He then turned to Papyrus, who was waiting patiently for the old timer to let him in on the secret. “Found some mead for ye, me hearty!” He said proudly, giving the wooden cask a resounding slap.

Papyrus stared at him blankly, clearly puzzled.

“um, thank you?”

The old monster turned a milky eye on Papyrus and regarded him with a shrewd smile.

“Oh, I know what ye be thinkin’ meboy. We be pickin’ up a barrel of this here shite every vessel we waylay…but don’t you be selling ole’ Bask short, y’hear? Look closer.”

With the intent of humoring the old sailor, Papyrus leaned in close to examine the casks in more detail. There, just next to the spigot, the small imprint of a blue flower emblem was pressed into the wood, outlined in gold leaf. His eye ridges shot up in delighted surprise. He whistled appreciatively.

“holy shit…its echo mead…”

“Yesiree! No finer stuff too if ye be askin’ me.” Bask sniffed the cask appreciatively “only the finest echo flower honey be used in this-here batch…more sweet than dry…aged just right, too…” he cast a sidelong glance at Papyrus, who was staring at the casks, a covetous look on his normally laid back expression. “sooo…I take it we be requisitioning these-here casks?”

“oh HELL yes,” Papyrus affirmed. If there was one thing Papyrus took special pleasure in, it was a good cup of mead, and this stuff was the best out there. “Just tell Muffet…she knows where they go.” He looked at Bask appreciatively. “…thank you, old timer.”

The old monster chuckled, happy he had pleased Papyrus with his discovery.

“Well, the way I sees it, lad…tha cap’n works hisself real hard to keep the ole lady Honeyberry afloat. Seein’ that is plain as the pipe in yer teeth.” He rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. “However I be not born t’other day, and it seems to these old eyes that a certain first mate does more than his fair share o’ the work hisself, despite what people say. Miz Muffet out there agrees. Sometimes even a lazy, hardworkin’ basterd like yerself needs a reward…”

“c’mon now, I’ve got a reputation to keep here.” Papyrus said offhandedly, to which Bask responded with a snort.

Papyrus made the arrangements needed to have the mead transferred to the Honeyberry before heading back up to the deck of the human ship. Once above deck, it didn’t take long to locate his captain. All he had to do was listen for Sans’ loud booming voice calling out orders across the ship. When he finally caught sight of him, Papyrus grinned in amusement.

Sans had placed himself in the most prominent place he could find, climbing up onto the railing at the forward end of the poop deck, immediately in front of the helm. There he stood, shining blue boots planted wide apart as he balanced on the rail, gold buttons glinting in the sunlight against the blue fabric of his Captain’s uniform. One hand was on his hip, the other wielding his cutlass, using it to gesture enthusiastically as he ordered the crew about their business. His large blue eyes, full of focus and determination, roved about the ship, looking for any who dared to slack under his watch and noting any concerns that needed addressing.

“ ‘sup, cap’n.” Papyrus raised a hand leisurely as he approached. “you about wrapped up here?”

Sans turned to regard Papyrus with a critical eye.

“DON’T ‘SUP ME, FIRST MATE PAPYRUS. YOU SHOULD SPEAK TO YOUR CAPTAIN WITH MORE RESPECT.”

Papyrus shrugged, quirking an eyebrow at his captain.

“you know me, cap’n. old habits are hard to break.”

Sans’ expression softened slightly, relaxing back into his usual bright smile.

“WELL I GUESS I CAN OVERLOOK IT OCCASIONALLY…AND YES, I BELIEVE WE ARE NEARLY DONE HERE. HOW ARE THE HUMANS?”

“safe…restrained, but safe.”

Sans nodded, satisfied.

“THAT ADMIRAL…”

Papyrus started. The tone of Sans’ voice was uncharacteristically serious. Had he noticed something was off with the kid too?

“uh, what about them?”

There was a small silence while Sans looked over at where the young admiral was tied up, staring at them with an intensity that Papyrus was not used to seeing. Frisk was making no suspicious movements, but their impassive eyes watched every detail of what was happening around them, never missing a single thing. Papyrus felt that same compulsion from earlier return…he should get rid of the kid now while he had the chance.

Papyrus saw Sans take a deep breath before turning to look at him with shining eyes.

“DO YOU THINK WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE FRIENDS?”

Papyrus had to fight not to laugh. Typical Sans…always looking to befriend whomever he could. Papyrus could feel his heart warm just sharing the same space with him.

“sure thing, cap’n. with your charm you could make friends with anyone.”

Papyrus saw a light flush of blue dust Sans’ cheek bones at the complement. Holy shit he was too cute.

It only took a moment for Sans to recover before he was once again laughing uproariously.

“MWEHEHEH! OF COURSE! I AM, AFTER ALL, THE MAGNIFICENT AND SANSATIONAL CAPTAIN BLUEBONES SANS!”

“right as usual, cap’n.”

The final preparations were made as the last of the requisitioned goods and cargo were moved over to the Honeyberry’s hold. The time to disembark from the enemy ship approached quickly and Papyrus was more than ready for them to go about their way. There was just one more thing to take care of. He approached Admiral Frisk, his hands once more resting comfortably in his pockets.

“welp, we’re about wrapped up. gonna be shovin’ off here in a bit.”

Frisk regarded him coldly.

“Don’t you think for a moment that this is over with, you smiling pile of refuse. I WILL make sure to track you down and eliminate every last one of you. I’ll even be sure to leave you till last so you can watch as I destroy everything you care for. The look on your face will be pure gold…especially once I get my hands on that Blueberry of a captain…”

Refusing to respond to the threat directly, Papyrus removed his hands from his pockets, revealing a simple penny knife laying in one palm. He unfolded the blade and examined it closely before looking up thoughtfully at Frisk. It was very sharp. The small admiral had frozen the instant the blade had been pulled out, and they watched Papyrus with an aloof wariness that gave him a small sense of satisfaction. Not completely unruffled, then…Papyrus turned his attention back to the knife, turning the blade over a few more times in his hand as he spoke.

“yeah…you’re gonna be one big pain in the tail bone for us…I can see that. honestly it would be much…easier to address the problem right here and now.” Papyrus looked up at Frisk meaningfully for a moment. Their eyes met, and neither moved as they stared each other down. Finally Papyrus sighed, turning away. “but my cap’n is the respectable type, and he says we let you go.”

He took a few steps away and knelt down before the trembling first mate of the human ship, who had been tied up just a short distance away from his admiral. As soon as he was face to face with Papyrus once again, he gave an undignified squeak and shrank back against the post he was tied to.

Papyrus leaned in.

“you seem like a reasonable fellow, am i right?” The human nodded frantically and Papyrus chuckled. “good…good…” He reached out and pressed the penny knife into the first mate’s bound hands. “here. use this to get yourselves free once we’re gone. a word of warning, though…DON’T follow us…as a matter of fact, wouldn’t blame you if it took a while to get loose. Long enough that we’ll be a fading memory by the time you’re all free…we savvy?”

The first mate cast a frightened look at Admiral Frisk, then back at Papyrus, who gave him a friendly wink. After a moment’s consideration, the human slowly nodded his head in agreement. Papyrus gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before getting up and sauntering away. 

Worries still plagued Papyrus’ mind as they disengaged from the enemy vessel and sailed away. He watched the other ship fade into the distance, his mind full of concern about the events to this point and the new unknown that was Admiral Frisk. Eventually though, he decided to just drop it. It was pointless to worry about something that hadn’t happened yet. Even if they were an admiral, Frisk was still just a child and Sans was right to insist that they be let free.

He could only hope in the deepest part of his soul that he wouldn’t come to regret it.


	2. Sans Taps Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans goes missing...Papyrus goes to find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part. I honestly have enjoyed this enough to write a third part...I have gotten some interest...please let me know if you'd like to see more (yes that means there would be smut).
> 
> again tags/rating are subject to change.
> 
> [MY TUMBLR IS HERE](http://purrfecktlysinful.tumblr.com)  
> Again big thanks to the following for editing help, word suggestons, encouragement, etc:
> 
>  **Undertailsoulsex** ([Tumblr](http://undertailsoulsex.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/undertailsoulsex/pseuds/undertailsoulsex))  
>  **Psycho4sans** ([Tumblr](http://psycho4sans.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/psycho4sans/pseuds/psycho4sans))  
>  **Eiznel24** ([Tumblr](http://eiznel.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Eiznel24/pseuds/Eiznel24))  
>  **Soloshikigami** ([Tumblr](http://soloshikigami.tumblr.com)/[AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SoloShikigami/pseuds/SoloShikigami))
> 
> These people all write EXCELLENT fics. (you should be reading their stuff first...great stories)

After their raid the energy on the Honeyberry buzzed with excitement. Crew morale was high, with the taste of victory and the glory of plunder still fresh in their minds.

They sailed to a nearby bay—a well-known hiding place that was often used by the Bluebones crew. Not only did its narrow inlet make for a tight fit, preventing larger ships from pursuing easily, but it was also located near the thriving resort town of NTT, a popular berth for many seafaring vessels. The crew of the Honeyberry worked diligently and eagerly as they sailed into a hidden pocket of the bay and lowered the anchor. Being near NTT, especially after such a successful raid, was sure to mean shore leave. Once they were off the ship, the crew could spend time mingling with the shore-folk, purchasing goods, drinking, gambling and generally carousing to their heart’s content.

Except for Papyrus.

Papyrus lounged in the crow’s nest, arms behind his head as he basked in the warm weather and breathed in the salt air contentedly. Currently he was under discipline for being caught asleep inside one of the covered dinghies hanging off the side of the ship. He was confident he had chosen his spot carefully so that he wouldn’t be found. However his brother, Captain Bluebones Sans, seemed to have an uncanny sense for finding him when he was slacking. The Captain had been livid, giving Papyrus quite the scolding and then assigning him to be lookout in the crow’s nest for the remainder of the day with no shore leave.

Acting as lookout was a boring, tedious job…which was the main reason it was used as punishment. It required long hours of standing and staring at the wide expanse of blue ocean against a backdrop of the azure sky and bright sunlight, searching for the slightest hint of enemy sail or inclement weather. Good eyes were a must, and the monster acting as lookout had to know the knack of it—staring too long led to eye strain and one HELL of a headache, but not staring enough led to missed signs and possibly lives lost.

To his credit, Papyrus had spent a good deal of his time diligently running an expert eye across the horizon and had seen little of note. Now that they were safe and secure in their small hideaway, the day had become wonderfully uneventful and he was now taking the opportunity to get away from his regular duties by passing the time with a nap. All other hands were either preparing for shore leave or working at completing their own tasks so they could go to shore as well. Even if he was noticed, the only one who could really question his actions was the captain, and he was busy overseeing the rest of the ship. Who was to know?

Time passed slowly and the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing the cool blue of the water in its warm orange and gold glow. Papyrus yawned and opened his eyes long enough to watch from his perch in the crow’s nest as dinghy after dinghy left the ship, headed for shore and the revels the crew were sure to find there. As more of the crew left the ship, the Honeyberry became eerily quiet, and Papyrus was left with only the soft lapping of sea waves and the bright lights of the distant town to keep him company through his watch.

It occurred to Papyrus that Sans had probably also gone to shore as well.

He wondered what Sans would get up to on shore leave. Most of the crew liked to go drinking at one of the local taverns, with the hope of possibly picking up one of the flirtier workers there for a quick romp in one of the upstairs rooms. Since Sans didn’t drink, there weren’t really many monsters he could comfortably spend time with when he went land-side. Usually he would make Papyrus accompany him, under the pretense that “NO PROPER PIRATE CAPTAIN SHOULD EVER BE WITHOUT THEIR FIRST MATE!”, as Sans would loudly declare. Not that Papyrus ever minded in the slightest—it wasn’t like he ever had anything planned. Anything he truly wanted to do could just as easily be done aboard ship. However, there was something about allowing himself to be dragged to and fro by his overenthusiastic Captain that made him feel a little lighter at heart and, dare he say, refreshed when the excursion was over. It was fun. But now that Papyrus was confined to the ship for the evening, Sans would likely be going to shore on his own.

Well…maybe not on his own.

Sans was a friendly monster, with the kind of shining personality that attracted all sorts of attention, both good and bad. Papyrus had no doubt that Sans would find a companion in no time, and it wasn’t like Sans didn’t know ANYONE. There were a few other monsters that Sans could spend time with. The last couple of trips to shore, Sans had easily struck up a conversation with the captain of the Bloodedge, one of the seedier pirate ships that plied the Big Blue. What if Sans ran into the scarred, sharp-toothed Captain Edge while wandering the town on his own? Would Sans drag him along from store to store or make him laugh as they had a meal together at one of the many restaurants? Would Sans prefer him over Papyrus?

Papyrus began to feel restless.

As he silently contemplated the last remnants of the dying sunset as it disappeared over the edge of the horizon, he heard a silent rustling from behind him. Someone was scrambling up the rigging that led up to the crow’s nest. Someone small. For a moment, Papyrus entertained the possibility that Sans had come up to relieve him of his duties. But no…Sans was on shore leave with the rest of the crew, probably nibbling on cinnamon bunnies or enjoying a show at the NTT theater. So if it wasn’t Sans scrambling nimbly up the ropes, who could it be?

His question was answered when a small round face crowned with messy brown hair tied up in a kerchief popped into view. They peered over the edge of the crow’s nest and down at Papyrus with wide, strikingly crimson eyes. Those eyes now regarded him with a thinly veiled expression of consternation.

“hey, Chara.” Papyrus sat up, fishing his pipe and his tobacco pouch out of one of his pockets. “something botherin’ you, kid?”

Papyrus packed the bowl of his pipe and lit it as he waited for Chara to respond. A recent addition to the Honeyberry, they had been found one day stowed away in the hold and had been immediately taken prisoner with the intent of holding them for ransom. However, the kid had an integrity and kindness that most monsters were unfamiliar with in humans, and as time had passed (and when no one had been found to claim the child), they had eventually been allowed to roam free about the ship. Rather than being angry or offended by their captivity, Chara had immediately found their niche, helping Muffet in the galley or running various errands for the crew, becoming the equivalent of the ship’s cabin boy. Even Papyrus’ suspicious nature had been soothed by the kid’s behavior as the weeks passed.

They were a good kid.

They were also painfully quiet. Papyrus didn’t know why the kid was so reluctant to speak. It wasn’t as though they couldn’t, and they didn’t strike him as being particularly shy either. Always ready with a smile and a kind gesture, they never shied away from any member of the crew. Even the more fearsome and intimidating monsters on board had been on the receiving end of Chara’s kindness, and stars help anyone who tried to harm the kid while any of them were present. Usually Chara communicated with a flurry of simple gestures and facial expressions that most of the crew had grown to understand, but on this occasion it didn’t seem like it was enough. Papyrus watched for a few moments with mild amusement as they tried to come up with some way of conveying what they wanted him to know before they finally gave up and beckoned for him to come closer.

Papyrus leaned in, curious about what had the kid worked up.

“…….”

Papyrus’ backed away with a jerk and gave the kid a surprised look.

“you can’t find the Cap’n?”

Chara nodded.

Papyrus’ face relaxed and he chuckled.

“of course not, kid. he’s ashore…probably having himself a rip-roarin’ time with the rest of the crew.”

Considering the conversation over and not wanting to think further about Sans having fun without him, he leaned back once more to resume his nap. He was stopped by a sharp tug at his sleeve, and he turned his attention once more to Chara, who was looking at him intensely.

They shook their head.

Puzzled, Papyrus raised an eye ridge at them.

“what do you mean, no…is the Cap’n not on shore with everyone else?”

Another shake.

Something like worry began to gnaw at Papyrus’ soul.

“and your tellin’ me no one knows where he is?”

Chara shrugged, shaking their head once more.

Steadying the growing concern in his soul— overwhelming gold, the flash of a blade and a dusty blue scarf—Papyrus rose, balancing instinctively against the gentle sway of the ship with one hand against the mast.

He tipped Chara a lazy wink.

“well, then. I guess we’d best go and find him then, shouldn’t we?”

Relieved that they had gotten their message across, Chara smiled brightly at him and then disappeared as they scrambled down the rigging ahead of him. It didn’t take too long for them to make it all the way to the bottom, hopping off and landing with a catlike grace onto the deck.

They stood there for some moments, looking up, a small frown of puzzlement spreading across their face when they didn’t see Papyrus following them down the rigging.

“lookin’ for something, kid?” A voice came from behind them.

They startled with a small squeak and turned to see Papyrus sitting casually on a nearby barrel, leisurely puffing away at his pipe and grinning at them openly with amusement.

“took a shortcut.” he explained unhelpfully. “took you long enough to get here, i was almost at the end of my ROPE.”

Chara crossed their arms and gave Papyrus a flat look. Chuckling, Papyrus raised his hands defensively.

“ok. ok, i know, gotta find the Cap’n first...”

They began to scour the ship from stem to stern, searching for Captain Sans, trying to figure out where he could have gone. With each successive place they searched—cargo hold, bulkhead, captain’s and crews’ quarters—Papyrus could feel the tension in his soul grow. If Sans hadn’t gone ashore and he wasn’t on the ship, where on EARTH could he be?

“no one saw him leave?” He asked Chara evenly.

Chara looked at Papyrus closely, and what they saw there made their face crease with worry. They shook their head. Taking a moment to calm himself, Papyrus took the pipe from between his teeth and examined the contents for a moment. He then pulled out a small wooden tag with a few bits of metal attached, and, selecting one, he used it to lightly tamp at the tobacco within. Satisfied the pipe would keep burning, he returned it to his mouth and took a long draw, trying to order his thoughts.

“welp. we haven’t quite checked everyplace out yet, have we? let’s check the galley next…”

As they entered the small space the crew used for their meals, they were greeted with silence and row after row of the empty wooden benches that were lined up in front of the bar. Even the ever-present Muffet had gone ashore for some well-deserved relaxation, likely using the time to seek out some of the rarer ingredients she used in her dishes.

“where in the hell could he be?” Papyrus muttered in a low growl, finally allowing some of his composure to slip.

He felt a soft tug at his sleeve. Looking down, he was met with Chara’s kind eyes and reassuring smile. There was a hint of worry behind that smile…worry for Sans…and worry for Papyrus as well, but he could tell they were trying their best to hide it to make him feel better. He felt a small pang of guilt.

“yeah, I know…losing my cool won’t help here will it?” He said, laying a gentle hand on the child’s head. “so where do we look next kiddo?”

Chara’s face became almost comically thoughtful as they considered their remaining options. There weren’t many places left to check…

Papyrus heard something.

“…be allllright…wash in our sails~”

Singing? Even though it wasn’t really necessary, he put a hand on Chara’s shoulder, signaling them to remain quiet as he strained to hear more closely. The sound of soft singing seemed to be drifting out them from the back storage of the galley. Normally only Muffet went back there—she was incredibly possessive of her provisions—but tonight she was gone, and the only other person with access were the first mate and…

“…we’ll all hang on behind~”

Papyrus sighed with relief. It was still incredibly strange, though…Sans sounded strange, almost as though…

“i think we just found the cap’n.” Papyrus said, giving Chara’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “would you do me a favor, kid? go to the captain’s quarters and get things ready for him, would you?”

Chara nodded and dashed off to do as they were told.

The sound of singing became louder as Papyrus entered the storeroom. Much larger than most of the crew gave it credit for, it housed all the things Muffet used to make their meals and took up a rather large portion of the space behind the galley. Papyrus focused on the voice as it drifted in and out of hearing, trying to locate its owner.

“…we’ll roll the old chariot along…  
we’ll roll the old chariot along…”

Papyrus smiled. He liked Sans’ singing. The Captain knew how to carry a tune, his voice low and resonant, with a vibrant boom to it that carried easily. There were many times as they were sailing long distances with nothing but sea, sky and sun to see for miles around when the morale of the crew would dip low from the monotony and boredom of life out at sea. Whenever Sans sensed this was the case, he would suddenly break into song, his voice rolling easily through the air and over the deck of the ship until it reached the ears of his crew. Easily picking up on his energy and enthusiasm, they would quickly join in, echoing the refrains as their captain sang, working merrily in time with the music.

Now, though, Sans’ singing sounded a bit off. The words were coming slower, and were slurred slightly around the edges, as though Sans were fighting to remember the lyrics to the song. It was an old classic, a personal favorite of his that he enjoyed singing often. Papyrus could hear his voice grow louder and then softer, drifting off entirely at times as Sans seemed to forget he was singing in the first place.

“….if we make it past the horn…  
we’ll be alllllright…..”

Papyrus walked slowly toward the back of the storage room, past the barrels of salted fish, pickled vegetables and various bundles of fragrant herbs and spices that hung drying from the ceiling. At the rearmost end of the room was the double row of casks that held the crews drinks. Meticulous in her organization, Muffet was careful to keep non-alcoholic drinks carefully separated on the opposite wall from the alcohol to avoid any possible mishaps. There were fewer casks along the non-alcohol wall, since most of the crew preferred a good rum or ale to the mixture of juices and fizzy drinks kept on hand for the few monsters that couldn’t (or wouldn’t) drink alcohol.

It was there he found Sans, sitting on the floor and leaning against one of the casks, a mug in his hand and singing to himself…

“Well a night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm!  
Well a night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm!  
Well a night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm!  
And we’ll all hang on behind!~”

Papyrus had never seen his brother drunk before, but he was pretty sure that was exactly what he was seeing now. Sans never partook in any of the ales, rums or spirits that Muffet kept for the rest of the crew, declaring that a good captain “MUST BE SURE TO KEEP HIS SENSES SHARP AT ALL TIMES!” Now, however, he hadn’t even noticed that Papyrus had entered the room, his eyes focused unevenly on the toes of his boots, as though he could find the answer to some deep mystery there in the shining blue leather. His hand wobbled as he waved the mug in time to his singing, sloshing its contents over the rim and onto both himself and the floor around him. He was already dressed down for the evening, wearing only his slacks, his captain’s hat (he never left his quarters without it) and a white undershirt which was open at the neck, exposing the ivory whiteness of San’s clavicle. Papyrus flushed slightly at the sight.

Wanting to get Sans’ attention as gently as possible, Papyrus took up the chorus as Sans finished the verse, picking up the refrain.

“And we’ll roll the old chariot along  
We’ll roll the old chariot along  
We’ll roll the old chariot along  
And we’ll all hang on behind~~”

Papyrus wasn’t nearly as good at singing as Sans was, his voice being higher and thinner, not really suited to carrying a melody, but he considered himself passing decent if he was asked. As he began to sing, Sans looked up, trying hard to focus on his first mate, bright blue eyes wavering unsteadily as he listened to Papyrus continue the song unsteadily. As he finished the last line and trailed off into silence, Sans gave him a large grin.

“HEEYY, PAPY…” He slurred, and Papyrus smiled warmly at the familiar nickname.

“hey, bro.” He said back, dropping formality now that they were alone. “uh, what’cha drinking there?” He gestured at the mug in Sans’ hand.

Sans looked at the mug in his hands as though he was surprised to find it there. He stared at it, deep in thought for a few moments before looking back up at Papyrus again.

“ ‘S SOME KIN’A NEW JUICE, I THINK…’S REEEALL SWEET!”

“ah. can I try some?” Papyrus approached and Sans willingly handed the mug over. Papyrus waved the mug under his nose, scenting the spicy sweetness with floral undertones. He took a swig of the stuff to be sure. “Sans, where did you get this?”

Sans patted the cask he was leaning against with a chuckle.

“MWE HEH HEH…WHY RIGHT HERE OF COURSE, SILLY…” he seemed strangely amused by the question, as though Papyrus should already know the answer.

Setting the mug aside, Papyrus knelt down next to the cask and examined it more closely, being careful not to kneel in any of the liquid Sans had already spilled on the floor. Sure enough, there it was, the flower emblem that marked it as one of the casks of echo flower mead. Hell, one of Muffet’s assistants had placed the thing against the wrong wall. He’d have to let her know in the morning. The poor monster who had made the mistake would probably be on potato duty for months…

Sans had probably come down here with the intention of getting something to drink to take back to his room. On seeing the intriguing new barrels, he had likely decided to give this newest beverage a try. It was a sweet drink—Papyrus could see Sans impulsively chugging the first mug down without thinking…followed by another…and another. With a sigh of resignation, he stood and turned his attention back to his brother.

“I think it’s time to get you back to your quarters, Sans,” Papyrus said gently, holding out his hand to help his brother up. After staring owlishly for a moment and taking a moment to process what Papyrus was offering, Sans reached out and clasped his wrist, hauling himself to his feet. As he came fully upright, though, he spent a few tense moments fighting for balance before taking a stumbling step forward, falling against Papyrus’ sturdy frame as he caught him.

Papyrus felt Sans’ arms go around his waist, pressing against him as he brought his hands to his brother’s shoulders to steady him. Papyrus could feel how close they were…close enough to feel Sans’ soul beat steadily just behind his ribs. He could feel his own soul flutter in response as Sans’ smell—the smell of sea salt and worn leather—drifted up to him, mixed with the scent of the mead Sans was all but soaked in. His grip tightened for a brief moment before Papyrus remembered where he was, pulling back and looking Sans in the face. Maybe it was a trick of the light… or maybe the mead…but Papyrus could swear that Sans looked a little flushed.

“doin’ ok there bro?” he asked gently, concern lining his face.

“OF COURSE! I’M THE MAGNISHIFENT CAPTAIN…” Sans trailed off, losing the words halfway. “…ANYWAYS, I’M JUS’ A LIL…OFF BALANCE FOR SOME REASON…” his grip on Papyrus tightened as he fought to remain standing.

“yeah…sounds about right. just hold onto me for now, ok?”

Keeping one hand on Sans’ shoulder to support him, and with his brother’s arm still wrapped around his waist, they made slow progress out of the galley and up to the deck of the ship. Papyrus guided Sans with practiced ease, more than used to helping the odd crew mate to their quarters after having one too many mugs of whatever was on tap for the evening. He was careful to match his brother’s shuffling, uneven step so Sans wouldn’t stumble unnecessarily, murmuring encouragement along the way.

They were greeted by the cool night air as they emerged from below decks. Sans seemed to sober slightly in the salt breeze, and he began to move with a little more confidence. On seeing the improvement, Papyrus began to entertain the idea that they might actually be able to get Sans back to his cabin more quickly than he first thought. Adjusting his grip around Sans’ shoulder, Papyrus began to lead him across the deck of the ship toward the captain's cabin.

"you still with me, bro?" Papyrus asked.

Sans gave a non-committal grunt, most of his concentration occupied with keeping himself upright.

"i thought you had gone ashore,” Papyrus continued. ”why didn't you go with the rest of the crew?" 

Sans looked up, his blue eyes wavering as they tried to focus on Papyrus' face. He frowned in concentration for a moment before looking away sullenly.

"DIN'T WANNA."

Papyrus snorted, trying to cover his laughter. He hadn't seen Sans this sulky since they were baby bones growing up at the docks of the capital. It was just too cute.

"why not? I know you love the cinnamon bunnies there and isn't Admiral Undyne going to miss you?"

Sans mumbled something under his breath, too faint to be heard. Halting their progress, Papyrus leaned down, straining to hear what Sans had said.

"what was that, bro? i didn't catch it..." He asked.

Papyrus gave a loud "oof!" and stumbled backwards a few steps as he was shoved roughly. He stared at Sans in shock, hardly believing that his own brother had just pushed him away so roughly. Sans stood, feet planted wide, hands on his hips as he glared at Papyrus. Despite his drunken state, his next words were crystal clear.

"I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO GO WITHOUT YOU, YOU BONEHEAD!" he shouted.

Papyrus floundered, for once caught completely off guard and scrambling for a response.

"b-but Sans...you canceled my shore leave...if you wanted me to go..." Papyrus froze as tears came into Sans' eyes. Oh no...oh no, no, no. He couldn't stand it when Sans cried. "wait, bro...don't cry..."

"IT’S YOUR FAULT FOR BREAKING THE RULES! PAPYRUS…I'M CAPTAIN!" Tears dripped down Sans' face. "I CAN'T TREAT YOU SPECIAL JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE MY BROTHER...I REALLY WAN'ED...I REALLY..." Finally running out of steam from his outburst, Sans faltered as his words began to slur again. He swayed back for a moment before finally losing his balance and falling forward.

With surprising speed, Papyrus was there, catching Sans as he lurched, wrapping his arms around his brother to keep him from collapsing. Sans clutched at Papyrus' shirt, burying his face in the fabric. Soul pulsing with guilt, Papyrus regretted getting in trouble earlier. He hadn't thought that Sans would feel this hurt over the fact that he didn't go on shore leave.

"geez...bro, I'm sorry...I..." Papyrus stammered.

Sans sniffled into his shirt.

"WE'RE ALWAYS SO BUSY ON SHIP..."

Papyrus took a deep breath, pulling Sans a little closer.

"yeah, i know..."

IT'S NO FUN IF YOU'RE NOT THERE..."

"i'm sorry. i'll find a way to make it up to you, promise." He soothed.

"…CUZ YOU'RE THE MOST IMPORT'NT TO ME..."

Wait...what?

Papyrus felt his face flush.

"um...Sans...wha..."

Sans looked up at Papyrus, his gaze unusually intense. It was a clear evening and under the moonlight Papyrus could see that Sans' face was still flushed a soft blue, and he became very aware of how close they were. Unable to tear himself away, Papyrus felt his soul stop as he was lost in the endless blue of those eyes.

"PAPY, I..." Sans trailed off.

"yeah, bro?" Papyrus felt as though he couldn't breathe.

"I...DON'T FEEL SO GOOD..."

Shit.

Papyrus wasn’t quite sure how he got Sans to the rail of the ship in time, but it was amazing how fast the normally lazy skeleton could move when proper motivation presented itself.

Sans body tensed and shuddered as he bent over the rail, heaving up the contents of his non-existent stomach into the water below. Papyrus soul went out to his brother as he leaned over him, rubbing his back gently. He wasn’t too surprised, really. For someone like Sans, who had never had a drop of alcohol before…well, even the most seasoned sailors sometimes wound up making an offering to Neptune after having more than they could handle.

Once he was spent, Sans slumped, breathing heavily, over the rail, unwilling to move for the time being.

“UUGGHH…THAT…WAS UNPLEASANT,” he huffed.

“yeah, looked that way…” Papyrus commiserated. “do you think you can make it back to your quarters?”

“OF COURSE!” Sans declared as he attempted to stand once more. He failed, stumbling and clutching desperately at the rail to keep himself from falling. “OOHH…MY LEGS FEEL LIKE JELLY…”

Papyrus considered the situation for a moment. There was no way Sans was making it the rest of the way to his cabin on his own, and getting this far had been painfully slow. Welp, there was only one solution left, then…

Before Sans could protest, Papyrus bent over and looped his arms around his brother, lifting him and settling him securely. Startled, Sans gave an undignified squeak, instinctively wrapping his limbs around Papyrus as he was picked up. He wriggled against him for a moment, protesting.

“PAPY, WADDARYOU DOIN’…LEMME DOWN…”

“Sans, quit struggling! I don’t want to drop you!” Papyrus interrupted. At the abnormally sharp tone of his voice, Sans stopped fighting and went limp. “you’re in no condition to get back on your own. just…let me help you…ok, bro?” There was a slight pause before Papyrus felt Sans nod against his shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“JUST THIS ONCE…” Sans muttered, burying his flushed face in Papyrus’ neck.

Papyrus chuckled fondly.

“sure thing, bro…”

Sans wasn’t light (he was a grown skeleton, after all, despite his size), but Papyrus was a strong monster and now that Sans was being carried rather than dragged, they made much better progress. Papyrus looked up at the sparkling blanket of stars that stretched above them. Combined with the wide, dark expanse of the sea that surrounded them, it gave him the impression that he and Sans were the only two monsters left in the world. It was a very pleasant feeling and he wished Sans was awake enough to experience it with him.

Chara greeted them at the door to the Captain’s quarters. They shot Papyrus a worried look when they saw he was carrying Sans, but Papyrus reassured them with an encouraging grin and a wink.

“don’t worry, kiddo. the cap’n just needs a little rest, is all.” Papyrus paused for a moment, unsure if he should ask the kid for a favor. “hey, uh, kid? about the crow’s nest…”

Chara nodded enthusiastically, giving Papyrus a thumbs up to let him know they were already on it. Papyrus returned the smile gratefully.

“thanks, kid. i appreciate it.”

Papyrus exhaled in relief as the heavy wooden door of the Captain's quarters thumped closed behind them. They finally made it. Warmly decorated and kept neat as a pin, the small room was a complete fit for Sans' bright personality. At one end was an elegant but modest desk with a tidy stack of paperwork and various sea charts. Nearby, against the window was a display table with a small replica of the Honeyberry in an old wine bottle—a gift from Papyrus on Sans' last birthday—surrounded by various pirate-themed action figures. The entire display was carefully stabilized with magic so that not even the roughest of sea weather would knock them over and break them. On the wall opposite the desk was a heavy-framed bed, bolted down securely, the headboard carved into swirling waves, with ships and sea animals chasing each other across the water.

Papyrus felt Sans tighten his grip and shift in his arms, pulling closer.

“MMM…PAPY?” Sans muttered, rousing from his doze.

“still gotcha bro…we’re back in your room…” Papyrus responded.

With one hand, Papyrus removed Sans’ captain’s hat and took a moment to hang it on the small hat rack next to the door. Walking over to the bed, he bent over and set his brother down on the edge of the mattress. Releasing him, Papyrus tried to straighten but found he was unable to. Sans wouldn’t let go of his neck.

“Sans…I need you to let go…you need to rest…”

“I LOVE YOU…” Sans muttered.

Oh, is that all it was? Papyrus chuckled.

“yeah, bro…love you t—”

“NO, PAPY…” Sans interrupted, pulling Papyrus closer. “I MEAN I _REALLY_ LOVE YOU…”

Papyrus thought he felt his soul stop. Sans was so close. He could feel the warmth of his brother’s body against his and the soft tickle of Sans’ breath on his neck. Papyrus’ mind whirled with elation and doubt, warring with each other, making his soul feel like it was going to be torn in two. Did he dare to hope?

“Sans…what do you…” he fumbled.

Sans loosened his grip and leaned back to look Papyrus in the face, his eyes dead serious, even in his drunken haze.

“YOU’RE A REAL BONEHEAD, YOU KNOW THAT? WHAT DO YOU THINK I MEAN?” Sans said, his voice husky.

Then he did something that caught Papyrus completely off guard.

Sans once more pulled Papyrus close and leaned forward to press his teeth against Papyrus’ mouth. There was a sharp click as their mouths met together in a kiss.

His eyes widening comically, Papyrus made a startled noise and he began to pull back. Sans wasn't about to let him get away, though; he tightened his grip, preventing Papyrus from escaping. The kiss was electric, their magic sparking between them and sending a pleasant shiver through Papyrus’ body and down his spine. Finally he relented, relaxing and allowing his brother to do as he pleased.

Once Papyrus quit struggling, he heard Sans hum in approval. He almost jerked away again when he felt the wet warmth of Sans’ tongue swiping across his teeth, asking to be let in. Hesitating for just the barest of moments before complying, Papyrus opened his mouth, conjuring his own tongue to meet his brother’s. Their tongues tangling languidly as every inch of Papyrus’ mouth was mapped out, the spicy sweet taste of the echo flower mead still on his brother’s tongue. Papyrus groaned, feeling his bones heat up with the desire to go further…to do more…

Papyrus hands came back up, hovering uncertainly between them. Oh sweet Neptune, how long had he wanted this…dreamed of this? Papyrus’ head swam with the intoxicating possibilities. His brother was right here, opening up to him fully…all he had to do was accept what he was being offered. If he reached out now and took Sans in his arms, he could have everything he had ever fantasized about during those long, lonely nights sleeping by himself.

There was a slight pause before Papyrus made his decision. Reaching up, he gently but firmly untangled Sans’ arms from around his neck, pulling away gently and breaking their kiss. They both gasped as they parted, breathing heavily and gazing into each other’s flushed faces. Papyrus held his brother’s hands in his own, giving them a gentle squeeze, struggling to keep himself from trembling with restraint.

“i, uh, dont think this is a good idea…”

The corners of Sans’ mouth turned down slightly in confusion as he looked first down at their joined hands and then back up again at Papyrus’ face. Papyrus tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. After staring for a few moments, the confusion on Sans’ face turned into uncertainty and then fear, his eyes beginning to brim with tears once more.

“Y-YOU DON’T LIKE ME THEN…” Papyrus couldn’t tell if Sans words were a statement or a question, but the distraught look on his brother’s face pulled at his soul painfully.

“no, wait, bro…hush…listen…” Papyrus soothed, trying to calm Sans down.

Continuing to make soft shushing noises, he tightened his grip on Sans’ wrists before he could pull away. Slowly, gently, he brought his brother’s hands up and, turning them over, placed a tender kiss on each palm. His gaze never left Sans’ face, which was now flushed a brilliant blue, his eyes wide. Papyrus gave him a reassuring smile.

“Sans,” he said, his voice low and serious. “what you just said has made me the happiest monster alive…”

Papyrus paused to let those words sink in as he ran his thumbs over Sans’ palms, feeling the bones in his grasp shiver slightly under the soft touch. Such small hands to hold the key to the lives of those aboard their ship...and yet, Sans took on that responsibility gladly and without complaint. He really was the coolest. Papyrus continued.

“but i think…i would be even happier if you told me tomorrow, when you’re feeling more like yourself…okay?” Though Papyrus wondered if Sans would even remember this in the morning. Despite that, whatever the outcome, the last thing he would ever risk was his brother’s happiness. He would never intentionally hurt Sans, no matter the cost to himself.

Sans nodded, smiling tremulously through his tears.

“OK, PAPY…” he sniffed.

“alright then…” Papyrus wiped the tears from Sans’ eyes before giving him a chaste skeleton kiss on the brow. “let’s get you to bed so you can sleep the rest of this off. i know you’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Papyrus helped Sans as he clumsily climbed under the covers, still hampered by the alcohol running through his system. Wincing in empathy, Papyrus thought of the consequences of this little escapade in the morning. He would have to make sure Muffet had some of her special detox tea ready before Sans woke up. He didn’t know what she put in the stuff, but it sure worked wonders and had gotten Papyrus through quite a few hangovers of his own.

A small wave of relief washed over Papyrus as Sans settled in, sinking into the soft pillows with a small sigh. He could still feel the heat of his agitated magic coursing through his bones and his head still buzzed from their kiss. Now that Sans was carefully tucked in, maybe he could get back to his own quarters and take care of his little “problem” before going to bed himself.

“alright bro, sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning…”

Turning down the oil lamp on the bedside table, Papyrus rose to leave, but was stopped by a sharp tug at his shirt. He turned to see two large blue eyes pleading with him from the darkness.

“DON’T GO, PAPY…PLEASE?” Sans asked.

Papyrus stared at Sans blankly for a few moments, trying to process what he was being asked for. Once he realized, he felt something close to panic clutch at his soul. He sputtered for a moment as he looked for a response.

“i-i don’t know if that’s a good idea…” he began.

“PLEASE…I JUST…DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE…”

There was a long silence as Papyrus’ desire to comfort his brother fought long and hard with his common sense. He shouldn’t stay—he was already worked up from earlier. And staying this close to Sans while he was feeling like this was just asking for a bad time.

But since when had he ever been able to say ‘no’ to Sans…

Papyrus took a deep breath, trying to collect himself.

“alright, bro…i’ll stay.”

Lifting a corner of the blanket, Papyrus climbed into the bed next to his brother. Sans made a small sound of delight and immediately wrapped his arms around Papyrus, who froze as he felt his brother snuggle in more closely, nestling himself against Papyrus’ chest. Soul pulsing frantically, Papyrus was hyper aware of Sans pressing against him and was praying to Neptune and all of his nereids that he had enough clothes on to mask the heat in his bones and the increasing glow behind his sternum.

“h-hey, Sans, do you think you could let up a bit?” Papyrus asked softly, desperate to get a little space between them before he did something he knew he would regret later.

All he got in response was a soft snore.

Papyrus blinked.

Sans had fallen asleep.

Papyrus looked down, gazing at Sans’ face, nuzzled contentedly in the front of his shirt and completely at peace as he slept. Papyrus smiled fondly, his soul relaxing into a pleasant warmth as he watched his brother sleep. He could feel all the tension drain out of him. Sans had so much trust in him…how could Papyrus ever betray it?

Wrapping his arms around his small brother, Papyrus shifted himself until their two bodies seemed to mold to each other perfectly, making himself more comfortable as he also settled in to try to get some sleep.

If Sans was happy, then that was all Papyrus needed.

It was still going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sea shanty I used is located [HERE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49FWp7WLYKw) if you want a listen. I fell in love with it instantly while I was researching for this fic.


	3. In High Spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus go to town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I thought I would get to smut in the third part... and that the third part would be the end of things...
> 
> Then plot happened. Yay me? 8'D
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a long one.
> 
> This is a gift for my good friend, Eiznel, and was supposed to be gifted on his bday... almost a month back... (. _ . )
> 
> Sorry this is late friend. 
> 
> ALSO, SHOUTOUT to Eiznel for his kind permission to use his naval uniform designs from his fic, Adjustments ([HERE](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6194863/chapters/17138218)) in this chapter. I hope I did them justice. (o.o;)

Morning came much sooner than Papyrus would have liked.

For once, it was Papyrus who woke up first, pulled from a feather light sleep by the sound of Sans’ snoring. He gazed down at his brother… his captain, burrowed close, small and warm against his chest, the usually pristine captains’ outfit rumpled and mussed, a thin line of drool trailing down his chin.

Papyrus chuckled softly to himself.

Too cute.

He gently disentangled himself, sliding out of the bed, freezing whenever his movements seemed on the verge of waking his brother. Once he managed to free himself, he made his way over to the wardrobe, opening the solid oak doors and glancing over the outfits within. He selected what seemed to be the best one of the lot, one of Sans' older outfits, but still perfectly acceptable and, most importantly, clean and wrinkle free.

As he was laying the outfit over the end of the bed, there was a soft tapping from the cabin door.

When Papyrus opened it, he was greeted by a familiar pair of friendly crimson eyes just peeking out over a loaded tray full of pastries, teapots and cups.

"hey, kiddo. Muffet send you?"

Chara nodded enthusiastically, gently shoving the tray at Papyrus. He took it.

He looked over the tray gratefully, then back up at Chara, his brow furrowed.

“wait… she knows?” He asked

Chara nodded

Ugh. That was… Welp, guess there was no avoiding that. Muffet was fiercely protective of her pantry. It was hers as far as she was concerned, and no one, not even the Captain, could tell her otherwise.

Papyrus recalled the mess Sans had left behind.

“did she seem upset?” he asked, hoping maybe there would be some mercy from the spider cook.

Chara grimaced, then drew a finger across their neck in a foreboding gesture.

“heh… right…” Papyrus muttered “tell her I’ll make it up to her later. okay, kid?”

Giving Papyrus a sympathetic look, Chara nodded and then dashed off to relay the message.

By the time the first sleepy groans could be heard from the bed, Papyrus was seated, relaxed, at the small table in the center of the room, smoking his pipe.

“OOOOHHHHHHH~~”

Papyrus took a long pull on his pipe, watching the lump of blankets lurch to and fro in the bed with lazy interest.

“WHAT… WHAT HIT ME…?” Sans said, his voice raspy and dry.

“about three large mugs of premium echo mead.” Papyrus answered.

The edge of the blanket was lifted and two very bright blue eyes squinted out from underneath.

“MEAD? THAT AWFUL STUFF YOU DRINK ALL THE TIME?”

Papyrus’ teeth tipped up in amusement. He turned to the tray on the table and lifted the lid on one of the teapots to check the contents. Yup, that was the one.

“heh. yeah. that’s the stuff.”

“MWEH… WHY IS IT SO BRIGHT OUT THERE?”

Papyrus pulled one of the cups toward him and poured some of the teapot’s contents into it. The steam wafted up, carrying with it a mix of herbal and medicinal smells that stung his nose.

“’s not that bright. just regular morning sunshine.”

Papyrus retrieved the sugar bowl. How many cubes? Sans didn’t really like sweet things as much as he did, but this stuff could be strong…

“SINCE WHEN DID THE MORNING SUN GET THAT BRIGHT?”

“dunno. you’re the one who usually gets to see it, not me.”

Three cubes, Papyrus decided. Sans could always add more.

“… MY HEAD HURTS.”

“welcome to your first hangover, bro.” Papyrus said, his tone light and jovial.

With some coaxing—and some quickly rigged blankets dimming the light from the window—Papyrus finally managed to get Sans seated at the table across from him.

He placed a particularly large cinnabunny and the cup of tea in front of Sans before sitting back down in his own seat. Retrieving the other teapot,he poured himself a cup of perfectly normal breakfast tea, adding plenty of milk and honey to cut the bitter flavor. Scanning the plate of pastries, he gave a grunt of satisfaction as he retrieved a honey bear and began chewing on it enthusiastically.

“PAPYRUS, USE A PLATE.” Sans chided halfheartedly before turning bleary eyes to the food in front of him. He examined the tea with a critical eye. “WHAT’S THIS?”

“detox tea.” Papyrus said, a shower of crumbs falling into his lap. Sans winced as he brushed them off onto the floor. “it’ll help with the hangover. careful, though… it has a very unique flavor. let me know if you need more sugar.”

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO LIKES SWEET THINGS.” Sans turned his attention to the pastry “SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY THIS?”

“you, uh… lost most of what you ate yesterday over the side rail… and whats the worry? you like cinnabunnies. used to treat you to them all the time when we were kids.”

“THEY’RE SIMPLY NOT HEALTHY.” Sans complained. Apparently he was a grouch when hung over, Papyrus noted.

He leveled a stern look at Sans.

“eat. you need the energy.”

Sans sulked, but he ate. After a few bites, he took a sip from the teacup, wincing at the taste.

“PLEASE PASS THE SUGAR.” He muttered.

Smiling, Papyrus passed the bowl.

“make sure you drink it all. it’ll have you feelin’ right as rain soon enough.”

They passed much of their breakfast in silence, Papyrus allowing Sans the time he needed to recover from his hangover as he ate. He was satisfied to see that as Sans drank more of the tea, the headache furrow between his eyes slowly began to ease up.

Once he judged Sans was feeling better, Papyrus spoke again.

“so, uh, how much do you remember from last night?” He asked casually.

“I’M… NOT SURE…” Sans said.

Papyrus watched Sans think, his brother staring intently into the cup of tea in his hands. He could tell when it began to come back to him. Sans’ eyes widened and his face began to flush. It was quite something, really, watching his brother’s face slowly turn such a bright shade of blue.

Papyrus would be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling a bit warm around the cheekbones himself. He redirected his gaze back to the plate of pastries.

“anything come to mind?” He reached out and grabbed another honey bear, setting this one on the plate in front of him.

“I… I THINK SO…” Sans stammered. His hand had wandered up to his face, brushing lightly against his teeth. “DID I… KISS YOU? OR WAS THAT A DREAM?”

Papyrus felt his face grow hotter. He cleared his throat.

“uh, definitely… not a dream.”

There was a sound that was somewhere between a whine and a groan as Sans covered his face and sunk down in his chair.

“OH STARS OH STARS OH STARS…” he repeated, covering his face with his hands.

Despite his own embarrassment, Papyrus couldn’t help but chuckle at his brother’s reaction.

Damn, he was just too adorable.

“MWEEEH… YOU’RE MAKING FUN OF ME…” Sans accused.

“wouldn’t dream of it.” Papyrus responded, taking a sip of his tea. There was a long pause as he considered his next words.

“did you mean it?” He asked bluntly.

Sans shot up in his seat, staring at Papyrus with large, round eyes.

“WHAT?”

“I understand… sometimes when you’re drunk, you can say some pretty crazy stuff…” Papyrus rambled, looking to the side and rubbing at the back of his neck “so if you didn’t really—”

“OF COURSE I MEANT IT.”

Papyrus felt like his soul had stopped. He brought his gaze back to his brother.

Sans was sitting ramrod straight in his chair, hands balled up in his lap, almost GLARING at Papyrus, despite the blue flush that lit his cheeks.

“what was that?” The question came out weak. Papyrus felt like he couldn’t catch his breath.

“I AM THE GREAT SANSATIONAL CAPTAIN SANS, AND I WOULD NEVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT LIGHTLY, EVEN DRUNK.” He declared. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVEN SUGGEST SUCH A THING. I AM A MONSTER OF MY WORD!”

Papyrus felt his soul throb, filled with elation at his brother’s confident statement. Man, his captain was just too cool.

“heh. you’re right, Sans. i should never have doubted you.” He admitted, feeling a bit guilty. “i’m sorry.”

Sans’ gaze softened as he regarded his brother, apparently satisfied that he was properly chastened.

“IT’S OKAY, PAPY! I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY. AFTER ALL, IT MUST BE OVERWHELMING TO BE REGARDED SO HIGHLY BY A SKELETON OF MY STATURE.” He said, somehow posing gallantly despite being seated.

Papyrus nearly choked on his tea as he tried to stifle his laughter.

“nyeh heh heh… yeah, bro, just don’t know how i’m gonna handle it.”

“SO.” Sans continued, fiddling with the cup in front of him. “WHAT DO WE DO NOW?”

“dunno.” Papyrus shrugged. Then he gave Sans a playful look. “you’re the one with the dating manual.”

Sans blushed again. Apparently he thought he’d hidden it better.

“YES! WELL…” Sans thought hard for a moment, taking another sip of his tea. “I SUPPOSE… MOST NORMAL COUPLES GO ON A DATE…” He thought for a few more moments before his face lit up “I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE’LL DO!”

“oh? what’s that?” Papyrus asked, looking amused. He couldn’t help but be entranced by his brother’s ever-changing expression. It was so dynamic… so full of life…

So SANS.

“WE ARE GOING ON A DATE, OF COURSE!” Sans declared. “I’LL TAKE CARE OF ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS. NOW, YOU GET TO YOUR CABIN AND MAKE YOURSELF PRESENTABLE, WE’RE GOING TO SHORE!”

Papyrus couldn’t help the smile that lit his own face.

“ay-aye cap’n”

**************************

Papyrus was surprised to find that, instead of going to the closer resort town of NTT, that they were going to the capitol, located some ways south of them. Big port was a large, beautiful harbor city that sat nestled in one of the largest inlets on the coast, surrounded to the north and west by high mountains, with a single well-traveled road that ran south to the main trade routes. The harbor itself was protected by two long arms of land that curved around the edges of the bay, leaving just enough space for a couple ships abreast to enter between them at high tide, if they knew the way through the reef outside.

Sans and Papyrus left not long after breakfast, using one of the ship’s small dinghies to navigate from the bay their ship was nestled in out and then following the coast south toward the opening to the harbor leading to New home.

The trip took a few hours, with Papyrus staying at the rear of the boat, using his broad frame and wiry strength to adjust the sail and rudder as needed to keep the small craft on course. His eyes, however, remained focused intently on Sans, who in turn was perched in the very front, large blue eyes straining out over the water, watching for any sign of trouble. The waters near Big Port were notoriously fickle. There were sudden changes in current and depth as the tide washed in and out, and there was a sprawling reef that contained more than enough obstacles hidden just under the surface of the water to disable even significantly larger ships.

“HOLD.” Sans called, holding up a hand. Papyrus made the appropriate changes, causing the small boat to slow to a near stop, bobbing lazily on the ebb and swell of the waves. Sans’ eyes narrowed as he examined the water around them, looking for some sign that Papyrus couldn’t see. After a few moments he straightened, looking mildly frustrated.

“something up, cap’n?” Papyrus asked, reading the concern on Sans’ face.

“I AM NOT SURE IF THE TIDE HAS COME IN ENOUGH TO CLEAR THE REEF AT THIS SPOT. WE COULD GO FURTHER SOUTH WHERE THE BIG SHIPS ENTER, BUT IT WOULD TAKE A LOT MORE TIME.” Sans looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’D HATE TO WAKE HIM SO LATE, BUT WE MAY HAVE TO…”

Papyrus shrugged

“can’t be helped. unless you don’t mind the longer trip?”

He already knew the answer, but he kept his silence while Sans pondered the decision, watching his face waver between his desire to get to port as soon as possible and the dilemma of disturbing the harbor keeper so early.

Finally Sans’ shoulders heaved in a sigh. Reaching under the neck of his shirt, he withdrew a tiny conch shell, the pointed end fitted with a mouthpiece, hanging from a leather strap tied around his neck. Bringing it to his teeth, he took a breath and blew into it.

Papyrus could just barely hear the whistle’s tone, high and tinny, the sound almost out of his hearing range.

But he wasn’t the one that needed to hear it.

After what seemed like a very long silence, there was a small ripple on the surface of the water as a large, dark shape came into sight beneath them.

“BE READY, PAPYRUS!” Sans shouted, bracing himself.

Papyrus was already on it. The ocean beneath them surged, and as it did, Papyrus immediately adjusted, his arm aching as he forced the tiller over hard to keep their craft oriented and upright. His ears were filled with the sound of rushing water and the straining creak of their vessel as it dealt with rougher waters than it was made for.

When the dinghy was once more in calm water, Papyrus looked up to see two enormous eyes peering at them sleepily from the large head that had emerged in front of them.

“hrrmm…?” The creature muttered, and one thick tentacle emerged from the water in an attempt to wipe the sleep from their eyes. “Wha? ‘s not dark yet… Why’d you wake me up.”

“IT’S ME, ONIONSAN!” Sans said, waving his hands at the creature.

Onionsan blinked at Sans for a few moments before his face split almost in half with a big grin.

“Why, hello Sans!” Onionsans said, delighted. “And Papyrus too!” Papyrus smiled, nodding in acknowledgement.“What brings you two out this way?”

“WE HAVE IMPORTANT BUSINESS ASHORE. I’M SORRY TO WAKE YOU SO EARLY, BUT WE WISH TO CROSS INTO THE HARBOR HERE AND WE ARE NOT SURE ABOUT THE DEPTH.”

“Oh, no trouble at all!” Onionsan chirped “Let me check.”

The large head disappeared below the waves, and after a small wait, Onionsan re-emerged(gently this time), a gnarled old sea turtle accompanying at his side, floating serenely on the lapping waves.

“You should be able to cross here, but it’s a close thing, so my friend here is going to show the way.” The tip of one tentacle petted the knobbled shell of the turtle next to him, and Papyrus thought he saw the turtle give a small nod of assent. “It’s a very particular path, so make sure to stay right behind him, y’hear?”

“SURE THING, ONIONSAN.” Sans agreed. “THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.”

“Of course! Now, I need to get some sleep. See you later, y’hear?”

With a sleepy wave from one tentacle, Onionsan slowly slipped back beneath the waves and out of sight.

They carefully followed the sea turtle through the reef, Papyrus keeping an eye on Sans who was watching their guide intently, giving Papyrus signals on when to slow down or turn in a certain direction. Once they were safely on the other side, Papyrus could see Sans’ shoulders relax with relief.

Sans beamed at the sea turtle, who was watching them complacently some distance away.

“THANK YOU, FRIEND! THE SANSATIONAL CAPTAIN SANS WILL NEVER FORGET YOUR KINDNESS.” He declared.

With a good natured nod, the turtle dipped beneath the water and was gone.

“WELL HE WAS NICE.” Sans mused.

Papyrus chuckled.

“what can i say, bro. you have a natural talent for getting folk to come out of their SHELL.”

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUST PUNNED AT ME, FIRST MATE.” Sans said, crossing his arms in front of him.

“aw, cap’n, you know you’re smilin’”

“UGH. I AM AND I HATE IT!”

Papyrus cold taste the sea salt air as the small dinghy bobbed in the water, finally drawing near the harbor of Big Port. They were already close enough to hear, faintly, the bustle of a busy harbor town in the early part of the day. As they approached the dock, they could see all sorts of people, from grizzled sailors to smartly dressed navy monsters to regular civilians, all focused on their own personal business as they went about their business.

Once the dinghy was close enough, Sans took a bounding leap, rope in hand, up onto the dock and began to tie the small craft in place while Papyrus kept it steady at the tiller. Once the first tie was done, Papyrus tossed up a second rope so Sans could tie the other end up, making sure they’d still have a ride home when they came back.

With the boat properly secured, Papyrus stepped easily up onto the dock. He pulled his pipe out of his pocket, packing and lighting it up before taking a contemplative puff. He watched as Sans surveyed the busy space around them.

“so what’s the first order of business, cap’n?” Papyrus asked casually. He could see the sparkle of excitement in his captain’s eyes as he watched the vibrant city ebb and flow around them, the crowd it’s own ever-changing tide. Sans was probably thrilled to make it to shore after staying aboard ship the entire day before. As a matter of fact, Papyrus thought that if Sans got any more amped, he might start visibly vibrating in place.

“AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE, I HAVE TO MAKE MY REPORT.” Sans admitted, the regret obvious in his tone.

Papyrus considered some options, weighing a few ideas of his own as he puffed leisurely, hand curled around the smooth bowl of the pipe. It had been a special gift from Sans on the day he had been made first mate, simple yet elegant, made from rich, warm mahogany with ivory bone accents. Papyrus’ brow creased as he had to take an extra hard pull at the pipe. It had been feeling a bit clogged lately… and there was that crack in the stem from when he had carelessly dropped the thing that one time.

“is it okay if we make a small stop first?” he asked, knocking the remaining hots out against one of the posts of the dock. “it’s a little out of our way, but it shouldn’t take too long.”

“I’M NOT SURE…”

Papyrus turned the pipe in his hand, examining the bowl with a disinterested air, making sure it was completely emptied. 

“it would take us by the fountain.”

“…”

He cast a sidelong glance at Sans, who looked visibly conflicted, torn between duty and the lure of seeing more of the city. The corners of Papyrus’ mouth turned up slightly.

Definitely cute. He wondered what it would be like to kiss him again.

Not the time for that, he reminded himself, looking away quickly.

“I… GUESS WE COULD MAKE A SMALL DETOUR.” Sans decided

Papyrus led the way, taking them through the curving roads, byways and side alleys of Big Port, following them with an instinctual knowledge born from an childhood of living on the streets. Sans followed closely behind, taking in the sights around them with his usual bright interest, pointing out all of their old haunts as they passed by.

“LOOK PAPY, THERE’S ONE OF THE SPOTS WHERE WE USED TO CLIMB TO THE ROOFTOPS! OH! REMEMBER HOW WE HID IN THIS OLD ALLEYWAY WHENEVER WE HAD TO STEAL OUR DINNER?”

“sure do, bro.”

Papyrus listened to his brother’s chattering contentedly, lost in his own feelings of nostalgia. Sans used to follow him around like this all the time as a baby bones, when they only had each other and every moment was a struggle to survive. Papyrus glanced at Sans and felt a swell of pride in his soul. Despite everything that had happened, Sans had remained the single bright spot in his life. His one and only cool brother.

As they slowly drew closer to the center of the city, even the lesser used side streets they were travelling through began fill up with more monsters and humans going about their daily business in the heart of the city. Papyrus shifted to one side, stepping out of the heaviest flow of the crowd without really thinking about it, his natural aversion taking over with a pang of anxiety.

He had always been wary of crowds. It was way too easy to loose his small baby bones brother when there were so many people around. Add in Sans’ incessant energy and insatiable curiosity, and there had been more than enough near misses as they were growing up to make Papyrus instinctively nervous.

He felt a small, warm hand slip into his own.

Startled, Papyrus look down to see Sans, who was staring hard at the cobbles at this feet, his face lit up in a teal blush.

“bro?” Papyrus asked, feeling his soul flutter.

“IT’S BUSY… AND IT WOULDN’T DO IF I LOST YOU IN THE CROWD.” Sans said, giving Papyrus’ hand a small squeeze. “ANYWAYS, THIS IS WHAT COUPLES DO, ISN’T IT?”

Papyrus fumbled to keep his composure.

“uh… yeah, sure. i would like that.”

Sans looked up, beaming at Papyrus with his usual bright smile, and Papyrus couldn’t help but smile back.

“I THINK I SEE THE MARKET UP AHEAD PAPY!” He said excitedly, tugging at his hand. “LET’S GO!”

Papyrus let himself be pulled through the crowd, following Sans with a bemused expression on his face, feeling wonderfully giddy. Sans pressed through the crowd, finding his way through as naturally as Papyrus had navigated the back roads not five minutes before.

The small street they were on ended abruptly, terminating in a wide, open plaza. They had finally made it to the city center and it’s sprawling marketplace. Papyrus’ head spun with the sudden assault on his senses. He could hear calls of the vendors in their stalls, smell the exotic foods and spices, feel the pressure of the milling crowds, it was all nearly too much to take in.

The plaza was laid out in two concentric circles, with the market stalls lined up around the outer edge of the open space, with a small garden making up the inner circle. The royal palace could be clearly seen, a large, shining beacon made of white limestone and gold to the north.

The crowd became thick as Sans pulled him out into the space between the market and gardens, and he could feel the warm bodies of both monsters and humans pressing in all around them. Taking a deep breath to still the rising anxiety in his soul, Papyrus focused all of his attention on the bright blue of his brother’s kerchief, doing his best to tune out the crowds around them.

Sans had only one goal in mind. The garden at the center of the marketplace. He snaked his way through the press of people, ducking and weaving between the moving bodies around them, somehow picking out the path of least resistance within the chaos. The entire time he never released Papyrus’ hand, keeping it clasped firmly in his own.

Papyrus was finally able to breathe a small sigh of relief when they finally broke out of the crowd and stepped onto the path leading into the gardens. Things were much less crowded here and papyrus felt his soul unwind a bit as he felt the space around him open up.

“HERE WE ARE!” Sans announced, slowing to a sedate walk.

They strolled, hand in hand, through the gardens, taking a meandering path toward the middle. Occasionally Sans would stop and they would spend some time admiring one patch of flowers or another. The garden was well cared for and maintained by the royal family, kept as a public space, with large swathes of green and bright splashes of color all around. And most impressive, at the very center in a circle of paved space, was a large fountain surrounded by a bed of golden flowers.

Sans led Papyrus over to the fountain, where they both stared up at it, Sans’ eyes sparkling with wonder.

Papyrus had to admit, it was an impressive feat of engineering. Built of smooth white marble, water bubbled up from the center of a round, raised platform, flowing and spilling over into the larger pool below. On the platform, the clear water flowing around their feet, two marble figures stood facing each other. To the right was a human child, featureless and smiling gently, their hands outstretched towards the center. On the left, a figure in a similar pose, this one a monster child, also smiling. It had long floppy ears and a tiny pair of horns sprouting from the top of it’s head. In the middle, between their outstretched hands, shone a golden save star, hovering there by some feat of magic.

It had been built ages ago, while Papyrus and Sans were still baby bones, as a symbol of friendship between human and monster nations. The figures depicted were supposedly the royal children, both the natural born heir of the monster kingdom and the human child they had adopted. At one time, they had been the hope for reconciliation between monsters and humans.

Of course this had been before both of them had been lost and human-monster relations had gone to shit.

And yet, the fountain still stood, a testament, Papyrus thought, to the eternal hope and love present in all monster souls.

He wished he could have that kind of faith.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED TO THEM?” Sans asked.

“heh. hard to say. royal family’s kept a tight lid on those events.”

“IT WOULD BE NICE IF MONSTERS AND HUMANS COULD GET ALONG AGAIN SOMEDAY.”

The kind of faith that seemed to come naturally to his brother.

Papyrus highly doubted it that the breach between monsters and humans could ever be healed. True, not all humans were bad. They had Chara as proof. However, it seemed like for every one like Chara there were a dozen like Frisk. There were still a few smaller human nations that continued to trade and hold good diplomatic relations with the monster kingdom. But those few allies dwindled day by day as they were heavily pressured by the larger human kingdoms around them.

Papyrus shuddered as he remembered Frisk’s flat, cold expression staring at him from across that over-large captains’ desk.

And yet, as he looked into his brother’s hopeful eyes, he just couldn’t bear to argue with his positivity. He squeezed Sans’ hand in his own.

“yeah, bro. that would be really nice.”

The sound of a distant bell, signaling the time, brought Sans out of this thoughts.

“OH STARS, WE HAVE TO GET GOING! WHERE DID YOU NEED TO STOP, PAPYRUS?”

“just need to swing by Gerson’s real quick. it’s on the way.”

Sans charged ahead with Papyrus in tow, leaving from the east entrance of the gardens, dragging Papyrus back across the crowded market and into the side streets of Big Port.

Once they were out of the thick of the crowd, Papyrus took the lead once more, winding through a few more small side streets before cutting down a nearby alleyway. He quickly spotted the weathered plaque above a run down shop front, a shop that, by all appearances, had seen better days.

“you comin’ in, bro?” Papyrus asked.

“NO, I’LL STAY OUT HERE. IT SMELLS FUNNY IN THERE.”

“suit yourself. i won’t be long.”

Papyrus entered the shop, the worn wooden door offering a slight resistance as it scraped loudly over the stone floor. The noise nearly obscured the faint tinkle of the bell that was attached to it. After closing it behind him, Papyrus turned to look inside, squinting into the dim, smoky interior.

It was a small space, just big enough for there to be shelves lining the walls all around, with an island in the center consisting of a single table surrounded by bins, and beyond that the sales counter. Papyrus could smell a mixture of scents, the sweet and earthy tones of various tobaccos, shipped in from around the world, and the musty scent of wood, cork and sawdust. At the far counter, leaning forward with his wizened old head resting in one hand was Gerson, the owner of the shop. His shoulders rose and fell as he snored softly, his long wispy beard trailing through the dust on the wooden surface in front of him.

Papyrus smiled at the old turtle fondly as he approached. Gerson was older than any other monster Papyrus knew, it wasn’t surprising that he would be napping his old age away.

“You here to pull one of your pranks on old Gerson, are you?” the oldster said, opening his one yellowed eye and staring at Papyrus with curious amusement.

Ok… so maybe he wasn’t sleeping as soundly as Papyrus thought. At least, not anymore.

“’sup, old man.” Papyrus greeted, raising one hand in a friendly wave. “how are things going?”

“Quieter since two young rascals aren’t running amok in town anymore.” Gerson responded, giving Papyrus a snaggle toothed grin. “Don’t have fun sized skeletons trying to steal my product or fall off the stacked crates outside anymore”

“you still haven’t forgotten that? it was years ago! I’m one of your best customers now!” Papyrus said, falling easily into the familiar banter.

“Wahaha! You SHOULD be, for all the trouble you caused these old bones.” Gerson grumped good-naturedly.”I take it you’re in for your usual order?”

“you take me right. oh, and a special request, as well.“ Papyrus pulled the pipe out of one of his many pockets and laid it on the counter. “The stem’s damaged… it’s also a bit clogged.”

Gerson picked up the pipe, turning it over and over in his spotted hands as he examined it.

“Easy enough to fix. Though it’ll take a while.” Gerson mused, then smiled. “I remember this. Your brother bought it for you some years back. Used most of his first cut as captain to get it for you. I still remember how excited he was about it.”

Papyrus looked toward the front of the store. He could see Sans through the window, rocking back and forth on his heels even as he leaned against the wall. He never could sit still for long. Papyrus felt his soul grow warm

“yeah, isn’t my bro the coolest.” He murmured.

Gerson raised his eyes from the pipe and looked at Papyrus shrewdly.

“You tell him how you feel yet?”

Papyrus jumped, turning wide as wide, shocked gaze back to the old turtle.

“wha-?”

Gerson snorted.

“Sonny, any monster with half an eye and most with none could see you’re over the moon for the lad.” He chuckled “You forget you’re dealing with monsters, here, not humans. It might not be… conventional, but as long as you’re not hurting anyone nobody’ll mind much. So… have you told him?”

“he, ah, actually told me… last night.” Papyrus said, blushing.

“Wahaha!” Gerson bellowed with laughter, his sides shaking “Shoulda figured he’d make the first move! That boy always did have the get up and go you lacked!”

“yeah, yeah, old man. when’s the pipe gonna be done?”

“Three weeks.”

“three weeks!?” Papyrus said, doing the calculations in his head. “we’re gonna be out to sea by then!”

“It’s a custom made pipe. Cleaning it’s not tough, but the stem needs special attention, gonna have to send it out.”

Papyrus swore.

“That’s some colorful language you learned at sea.” Gerson observed with a chuckle.

“what am i supposed to do till then?” Papyrus asked petulantly

“Think I can do something for ya.” Gerson rummaged behind the counter for a bit before fishing out a large sack, plunking it down on the counter. “You can use these to get along in the meantime.”

Papyrus opened the top of the sack. It was filled with suckers of varying flavors, shapes and sizes. He gave Gerson an incredulous look.

“you don’t like sweets.” He observed.

“Nope. Got them from the candy maker across the street.” Gerson said offhandedly.

Now it was Papyrus’ turn to give Gerson a smirk.

“the one run by the old tortise widow? really Gerson, at your age?”

“Show some respect when speaking to your elders.” Gerson chided, though there was not heat in his words. “Old bones need companionship sometimes, too, and you should see the shape of her shell…”

Papyrus laughed.

“so, you hear any news on the street?” He asked, coming to the second reason for his visit. Gerson had tabs on all sorts of goings ons in Big Port and Papyrus tapped him often for information.

“Hmmm…” Gerson mused, pulling at his beard “Navy’s in a kerfuffle over some raiding taking place in some of the outermost fishing villages. Seems they’re spread thin between defending against possible human invasion and trying to keep pirates off the citizenry."

“oh?” Papyrus asked, interested.

“Yeah. I guess there’s some pushing around about how to best handle the matter. You young-uns… always so full of passion you can’t see anything from the other side of the fence.” Gerson scoffed.

“heh. things a little off balance at Navy HQ?”

Gerson squinted at Papyrus.

“Don’t think I don’t know you have no love lost for the Navy. Don’t forget that they’re what lets you work unhassled.”

“yeah, and they’re what tries to keep us on a short leash, too.” Papyrus muttered.

“The price you pay…”

“i know.” Papyrus cut Gerson off sharply. After a moment, he took a deep breath “anything else?”

“Wahaha! There’s an up-and-coming Naval Captain that seems to be doing a good job of staying out of all the politicking…” Gerson chuckled “What’s funny is he seems to do it without knowing what’s about, though his first mate’s a real shrewd one.”

“do I know them?”

“Hmmm… not sure. They are skeletons like yourselves… Captain of The Deeply Unfathomable?”

Heh. Papyrus smiled.

“might have an idea. anyhoo, old man, gotta get goin’. Cap’n is probably getting antsy and I told him I wouldn’t be long.” He took a handful of the suckers from the sack on the table, stuffing them into one of his pockets with a resigned grimace. Then he slid a coin across the counter. “think you can have these dropped in our dinghy at the dock?”

“Sure. Gotta keep MK out of trouble somehow. Take care of yourself, Sonny. I’d hate to think I suffered through all your shenanigans to find out you’d been dusted somewhere.”

Papyrus unwrapped a sucker and popped it in his mouth, rolling it around on his tongue. Giving Gerson a final wave, he stepped out of the dim shop and into the alleyway.

He blinked for a few moments as he emerged into the brighter light outdoors. When his vision finally adjusted, he found himself face to face with a pair of very annoyed blue eyes. 

"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T BE LONG!" Sans accused

"i wasn't… at least, not for a visit with Gerson." Papyrus said. "you can't rush the guy, you know?"

"IS HE DOING WELL?" Sans said, his eyes flicking with concern to the door of the shop, then back to Papyrus.

"why don't you ask him yourself?"

"IT'S TOO SMOKY IN THERE." Sans said, though his mouth turned down slightly in a guilty look.

"hey. don't sweat it, bro. he's a tough one, looked like he was doing great to me."

"WHY DO YOU HAVE A SUCKER?"

Papyrus grimaced.

"pipe's gonna be in for a while."

"GOOD. YOU NEED TO CUT BACK. SMOKING TOO MUCH ISN'T HEALTHY." 

Papyrus shrugged, not wanting to press the matter.

"said we had an appointment?"

“THATS RIGHT! WE NEED TO GET GOING!”

Suddenly reminded of where he needed to be, Sans charged ahead once more, Papyrus close behind, his long legs leisurely eating up the same distance his brother covered with his brisk steps. 

They didn’t have to go far to reach their destination, another wide-open space within the close press of city buildings. This new space was dominated by a large limestone building— The Royal Naval Headquarters. Its tall central tower loomed above them, casting its long shadow over the courtyard below. The second level was open, supported all around by sturdy pillars. Within could be seen the minute forms of monsters and humans, rushing to and from whatever navy business occupied their time. At the very top of the central tower was a clock and bell tower that rung regularly every quarter of the day. Extending on either side of the central structure, like two curving arms, was the remainder of the building. It was built much lower to the ground, only a few stories tall, surrounding the small central courtyard.

Sans and Papyrus entered the building, and though they attracted a few curious looks, they were allowed to proceed largely unhindered. Sans' eyes flicked over the familiar interior, quickly finding the large, curving staircase that flanked the central administration desk in the well lit, circular vault of the main hall. 

Smartly dressed monsters passed them on all sides, their sharp, clean uniforms a distinct contrast to Papyrus’ own rougher clothing. Even Sans, in his own spotless pirate captains’ uniform stood out in his bright blue, as opposed to the navys, blacks and occasional white(for higher officers) of the naval uniforms that surrounded them. 

Sans passed through the halls with the same ease Papyrus had navigated the back alleys of Big Port. Papyrus considered that it made sense, though. How many months had Sans spent sneaking away to Navy HQ to train with Alphys and bug her about joining the Royal Navy? Papyrus frowned slightly at the thought. All those months of excitement and hero worship… all those months of Alphys stringing his brother along, and then…

Papyrus’ teeth crunched down on the remainder of the sucker in his mouth. Sans had been devastated when, despite all the training, all the work, he had finally discovered that Alphys had never planned to let him into the Royal Navy in the first place, that she had been humoring him with the hopes that he would eventually give up. 

And yet here they were. It galled him.

They finally arrived at a large set of double doors at the end of a large hallway. A large gold plate was hung on the door, with the name “Rear Admiral Alphys” printed on it in formal block lettering. Sans took a moment to straighten his already flawless uniform before knocking loudly.

“Just get yerself in here, already!” A gruff voice called from the other side of the door.

Sans pushed the doors open, the heavy wood swinging ponderously inward, revealing a large office. Prominent on the wall above the desk, across from the door, hung a beautifully rendered map of the city. Big Port was beautiful, inspired and designed to reflect the Delta Rune that was so important to the monster kingdom. He could see the large circle that marked the palace to the north, with the market and gardens below that. From the market, the Royal Labs were located to the west, Navy HQ to the east, and finally NTT’s central office to the south. They were the three pillars that supported the royal family and the city. Surrounding these main structures was a labyrinth of flowing roads and side streets that followed the bends and curves that made up the shape of the city.

Papyrus had only a moment to appreciate it before his attention was drawn to the table in front of the desk. It was surrounded by four figures, three of whom Papyrus immediately recognized. To the left stood Captain Rus and his next-in-command, Commander Blue. Papyrus’ mood lifted slightly when he saw them, and he nodded affably to Blue. Blue returned his greeting with a friendly, if somewhat lazy, wave. Papyrus wondered with a smile what Captain Rus had to do to get Blue looking that sharp. He was dressed in the dark blue and gold of his rank, the fabric of his uniform neatly pressed. The familiar emblem of their ship was embroidered over the left breast—a skull, some strange mix of canine and feline, its mouth parted just enough to reveal deadly fangs as it glared out at them from inside its gold bordered circle. 

If Blue was crisp, then Captain Rus was pristine. Standing a good head taller than his next-in-command, he radiated an energetic air of competence and capability that immediately drew attention from the rest of the room. His white uniform, similarly accented with gold, was adorned with a cape, bordered in red and held in place by a loop of gold rope. It was draped so it was rakishly offset on the shoulders, one covered, the other not. Papyrus knew if Captain Rus would turn his to him he would see a larger version of their ships emblem emblazoned across the back of his cape.

He was truly impressive.

Not quite as cool as his own cap’n though.

Captain Rus smiled brightly at them both.

“IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU, CAPTAIN SANS, FIRST MATE PAPYRUS!” He said.

“GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO, CAPTAIN RUS.” Sans returned brightly as he strode to the table, clasping hands briefly with Rus before turning his attention to the monster across the table. ”A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, TOO, REAR ADMIRAL ALPHYS. CAPTAIN SANS, OF THE HONEYBERRY, REPORTING!”

The bulky lizard monster, dressed in her own white admiral’s uniform, inclined her head, giving Sans a toothy grin. With her sharp teeth, scarred features and worn eyepatch, she looked like she would be much more at home on any pirate ship than as a rear admiral for the Royal Navy. Even her Uniform didn’t seem to fit quite properly, too tight in some places and too loose in others, with an ever-present rumple to the fabric that made her look slightly out of sorts.

“Hey, there, squirt!” She said, her voice loud and boisterous. “We thought you’d never get here!”

“ME AND MY MATE HAD SOME PRESSING BUSINESS IN TOWN BEFORE WE ARRIVED.” Sans said “I APOLOGIZE IF THE DELAY CAUSED YOU ANY TROUBLE.”

There was a derisive snort that drew everyone’s attention to the right side of the table.

A large, grey, rock-like monster stood there, towering over the other monsters in the room and glaring down at Sans with a disdainful air. Papyrus sized him up— White uniform, more gold accents, and that was a LOT of stripes… The guy was definitely ranked higher than Alphys. Unlike Alphys, though, his uniform was well-tailored, fitting him perfectly and lending him an imposing, official air that would have made most monsters shrink.

“You’re late.” He stated coldly “I should have expected as much from a couple of pirates.”

Thankfully, Sans was not most monsters. He smiled brightly at the Rock monster.

“I DO NOT THINK WE HAVE MET. I AM THE SANSATIONAL CAPTAIN SANS…”

“I know perfectly well who you are, and I am only allowing this because Rear Admiral Alphys INSISTS on using your assistance in these matters.” The monster growled “It galls me to have to work with a dirty pirate.”

Papyrus’ weight shifted as he began to move forward, fully intending on telling this new monster exactly what he thought of his “opinion” when Captain Rus spoke up.

“EXCUSE ME, ADMIRAL GABBRO.” Captain Rus interjected “IF I MAY, WHAT ABOUT CAPTAIN SANS IS DIRTY? HIS UNIFORM IS ACTUALLY QUITE IMPECCABLE AND FITTING FOR A MONSTER OF HIS STANDING.”

Gabbro turned his attention to Captain Rus, squinting at him, trying to decide if the tall skeleton was being insubordinate. Papyrus felt a firm pressure on his arm, and he looked down to see Sans’ hand there, signaling him to stay put. He was watching the interaction between Gabbro and Papyrus, the usual, bright smile on his face masking the intensity of his stare.

Captain Rus regarded Admiral Gabbro openly, the dark sockets under his captains’ hat conveying only his usual bright curiosity.

“Captain Rus, doesn’t it bother you that you are being asked to cooperate with a PIRATE?” Gabbro asked incredulously.

“WHY WOULD IT? SANS IS A VERY NICE PIRATE. IT SEEMS TO ME AS LONG AS THEY WORK UNDER THE LETTER OF MARQUE THE QUEEN GAVE THEM, THAT THEY ARE PIRATE-EY IN A GOOD WAY. OR AM I MISTAKEN?”

“Admiral Gabbro, with all due respect,” Alphys said, squinting at him with irritation. “You gave me the go ahead to take care of this the way I want, and as Captain Rus said, Captain Sans has the blessings of Queen Toriel herself, so what’s your problem?”

“My problem, Rear Admiral Alphys” Gabbro said, emphasizing her title. “ is your choice to use PIRATES to enforce order on the high seas. Letter of marque or not, it sullies the reputation of the crown.”

Admiral Gabbro and Alphys glared at each other for some time, neither willing to back down. The atmosphere in the room grew thick with tension.

There was a soft cough. All eyes turned to Blue, who shrugged and gave Gabbro a disarming grin.

“seems we have to agree to disagree for the moment, sir. regardless, I don’t think we should take it for GRANITE that the Navy’s between a ROCK and a HARD place right now when it comes to policin’ things out there…”

Papyrus smiled at Blue, amused. Captain Rus gave his second-in-command a scandalized look, horrified at his blatant use of puns at the Admiral’s expense, but kept his peace. 

Gabbro, however, didn’t seem to have caught on, glowering at Blue as though he suspected something was up but couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Papyrus found that even more entertaining. He relaxed, and as he did so he felt Sans’ hand drop from his arm. 

Gabbro finally gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

“Fine. However, I see no reason for anyone lower than the rank of captain to be present in this room.” He sneered at everyone present “Commander Blue and… whoever you are… you’re both dismissed.” 

“MY FIRST MATE HAS MY DEEPEST TRUST.” Sans stated, stepping forward and placing his hands on the table. “I DO NOT SEE WHY HE SHOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM THIS MEETING.”

Papyrus could see Sans’ composure slipping. He glanced to the side, and saw Captain Rus giving Sans a concerned look. He obviously did not like the idea of sending his second-in-command away either. Blue smiled reassurance at his captain. 

“don’t sweat it, Captain. me an’ First Mate Papyrus can swap old sailors’ stories while we wait.” Sans said, giving Papyrus a pointed look, and Papyrus nodded.

“yeah. don’t worry about me, cap’n, you don’t need two lazybones like us around for such important talk. we’d probably fall asleep or something.” Papyrus affirmed, placing a hand on Sans’ shoulder and squeezing gently.

“IF YOU SAY SO, FIRST MATE PAPYRUS.” Sans said, still unsure.

“remember, you’re the coolest guy around. the Sansational Captain Sans, right? i’ll be just outside if you need me.” Papyrus yawned, glancing at Gabbro “might even take a nap, some of the conversation in here has been right dull, you know?”

Sans chuckled.

“THEN I SHALL SEE YOU AFTERWARD, FIRST MATE.” 

“you got it, cap’n.”

Once outside the room, Blue and Papyrus made themselves comfortable, side by side, leaning against the wall. They spent some time in amicable silence, Papyrus fishing another sucker out of his pocket and popping it into his mouth. While not as good as a smoke, he had to admit the smooth texture of the hard candy, together with its sweet taste was somewhat soothing.

“you, uh, trying to quit?” Blue asked, glancing at Papyrus with a raised eye ridge.

“heh. something like that.”

“hmmm… didn’t think you’d give up the pipe all that easily.”

“nah. just cutting back temporarily.”

“I see.”

There was another stretch of silence as they were both lost in their thoughts. It was Papyrus who finally spoke.

“so, The Deeply Unfathomable, huh?” he said with a grin at Blue. “how long’d it take Rus to discover the pun?”

Blue chuckled fondly.

“just long enough for the paperwork to be turned in and the name official. he squawked about it for days.” 

“i bet.” Papyrus agreed 

“eh, it grew on him, once enough people told him what a cool name it was an’ all.”

“and i bet you had nothing to do with that.”

“heh. can’t help it if a few folks got a bug in their ear.” Sans gave Papyrus a wink “you know how it goes.”

“that i do, me bucko.” Papyrus returned the wink “gotta do everything we can for the two coolest dudes on the high seas.”

“right.”

“so what’s with our stony friend in there?” Papyrus asked

Sans snorted, and a look that seemed to be a mix of irritation and amusement crossed his face.

“you mean Gabbro? political appointment. family ties… debt owed by the royal family… something like that.” Sans waved his hand dismissively.

“meaning?”

“dude couldn’t sail his way out of a bathtub if someone else did the rowing for him.” Sans chuckled dryly “also doesn’t have much authority here either. he knows it, too. still tries to throw his weight around, though.”

“i see.”

“he’s quite the pain in the tail for Alphys, that’s for sure.” Sans said

“guess I can’t complain about that.” Papyrus said with satisfaction.

Sans looked him up and down out of the corner of his eye.

“still have it in for the navy, huh? why all the SALT?”

“how would you have reacted if Rus had been treated the way Sans was? Strung along in his dreams only to have them shattered…” Papyrus asked tightly, glancing sideways at Blue.

There was a flare of azure light in one of Blue’s sockets for the briefest of moments before it died down.

“…point taken.” He said, his voice momentarily dark with emotion. then he deflated with a sigh. “we were fortunate. the royal family gave us their endorsement when we applied, otherwise my bro might have been in the same boat.”

“no hard feelings on that.” Papyrus assured. “heard from Gerson you’re having some trouble?”

Blue chuckled.

“old turtle still has his ear to the ground, huh?” He asked dryly. “yeah, there’s trouble. we got the humans breathing down our necks, and while we’re tryin’ to figure that mess out, we have the pirate crews raising hell and raiding the smaller coastal towns, and ships disappearing right and left, whether they’re pirate or navy.” 

“sounds like a handful.” Papyrus commisserated.

Sans snorted.

“a handful, he says. To the north, we have the Bloodedge and her crew, who only seem to be out for blood, chaos and general devilry.”

“ah, yeah… Captain Edge can be a handful.”

“stubborn ass, more like. anyways, there’s also this new crew setting up to the south, the Blackthrall. slavers. captain’s apparently so merciless he’s collared his own brother.”

“that’s new.” Papyrus said, interested. “any more information on them?”

“sadly, no, just that they’re supposedly involved in the slave trade.” Sans huffed. “anyways, that’s enough about our problems. word is you had an interesting encounter at sea?”

There was a long silence. Papyrus pulled the sucker out of his mouth, examining the candy with an expression that reflected his desire for a more familiar vice.

“how did you hear that?” he finally asked.

Sans shrugged.

“some of our boys also like to go to NTT resort.”

Papyrus sighed.

“we took a human ship the other day…”

He spoke, telling Blue what had happened during their raid, detail for detail, omitting only his acquisition of the echo mead. Blue listened quietly, his demeanor never betraying more than a mild interest in Papyrus’ recounting.

“what do you think of the kid?” Blue asked when he finished.

“they’re dangerous. they…” Papyrus seemed to search for the words he needed. “they look like a child, but they’re nothing like a child, Blue. they really rattled my bones, if you get my drift.”

Blue’s teeth turned down slightly.

“so it seems. and now we know what’s been happening to missing ships and crews. i’ll let my bro know what’s goin’ on.” 

“you sure he won’t try to make friends with the kid?” Papyrus asked with an edge of sarcasm. He wasn’t sure why he did it. Maybe the deep unease that had been pulled back to the surface by his retelling had brought out a meaner side of him. Or perhaps he just wanted to throw Blue off balance, try to get him to react so that he didn’t feel like the only one scared as a baby bones by the kid.

To Papyrus’ surprise, Blue gave a small bark of laughter.

“he just might.” Blue admitted “but you know, my captain… my BROTHER is a lot sharper than a many people take him for. he doesn’t always take the obvious path, but the way he just makes things… WORK, despite it all is part of what makes him so cool.” He looked up at Papyrus, his eye lights suddenly intense. “your bro is pretty similar to mine. don’t sell him short.”

The thought of Sans brought a warm smile back to Papyrus’ mouth.

“yeah. my cap’n is pretty cool.”

“heh. you should tell him how you feel already.” Blue said, giving him a playful elbow.

Papyrus blushed.

“why’s everyone so hung up on that?” He said, irritated “and anyways, how can you prod me when you can’t even admit how you feel about yours.” he threw back.

He was surprised when Blue gave him a goofy smile, his face blushing a soft blue.

“actually, ah… i kinda did… a couple months back. he said he feels the same way.”

The tension dissolved and Papyrus almost laughed. He was truly happy for his friend. They had both been holding a flame for their brothers for a long time, and they had often taken solace together in their shared dilemma.

“well I guess that makes two of us, then.” Papyrus said, the heat gone from his voice. “only in my case it was Sans who said something first, and it was just last night.”

Sans laughed. 

“yeah, he seems the type. i imagine my bro might have done the same if I had continued to drag my feet about it. speaking of…”

The large door to Alphys’ office groaned as it was pulled open, and out came Sans and Rus, chatting amiably with each other. On seeing Papyrus, Sans’ face brightened and he waved him over enthusiastically.

“COME, FIRST MATE PAPYRUS! OUR ERRAND HERE IS DONE AND NOW WE CAN GO ON OUR DATE.” 

Papyrus felt his face burn hotter at his words, which weren’t exactly spoken softly, and with the door to Rear Admiral Alphys’ office still hanging half open. He thought he heard a gruff shout of laughter from inside as they finally swung all the way closed.

“heh. welp, best go to your captain then.” Sans said with an amused twinkle in his eyes. “…you two have fun.”

“jackass.” Papyrus returned with good humor.

With a flutter of his soul, Papyrus joined Sans, wondering exactly what his captain could have in store for him next.


End file.
